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BV  811  .N6  1850  Cassel 
Noel,  Baptist  Wriothesley, 

1798-1873. 
Essay  on  Christian  baptism 


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ESSAY 


ON 


CHRISTIAN    BAPTISM, 


BAPTIST  W.  NOEL,  M.A. 


"  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved."— Afar^  xvi.,  16. 

"  Repent,  and  be  baptized,  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesua 
Chriat,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
GhoBt,"— Acts,  ii.,  38. 


NEW    YORK: 
HARPER   &   BROTHERS,   PUBLISHERS, 

82  CLIFF    STREET. 
185  0. 


PREFACE. 


During  my  ministry  in  the  Establishment, 
an  indefinite  fear  of  the  conclusions  at  which  I 
might  arrive  led  me  to  avoid  the  study  of  the 
question  of  baptism ;  but  I  felt  obliged  to  exam- 
ine honestly  each  passage  of  Scripture  upon  the 
subject  which  came  in  my  way,  and  the  evi- 
dence thus  obtained  convinced  me  that  repent- 
ance and  faith  ought  to  precede  baptism.  The 
reasons  assigned  by  the  Anglican  Catechism 
why  an  infant  should  be  baptized  without  re- 
pentance and  faith,  are  very  unsatisfactory. 
As  soon,  then,  as  I  had  settled  my  mind  upon 
the  union  of  the  churches  with  the  state,  I  turn- 
ed my  attention  to  this  question.  Aware  how 
many  are  disposed  to  attribute  any  opinion 
which  contradicts  their  own  to  such  a  partial, 
one-sided  investigation  as  they  practice  them- 
selves, I  determined  to  form  my  judgment  en- 
tirely by  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  and  of 
such  authors  as  advocate  the  baptism  of  infants. 
To  that  determination  I  have  adhered.  And 
not  having  read  a  single  Baptist  book  or  tract, 


IV  PREFACE. 

I  publish  the  following  work  as  an  independent 
testimony  to  the  exclusive  right  of  believers  to 
Christian  baptism.  Undoubtedly,  I  might  have 
enriched  its  pages  by  an  examination  of  the 
able  and  excellent  authors  who  have  written  on 
the  same  side,  and,  by  the  use  of  their  reason- 
ings and  researches,  might  have  escaped  some 
of  the  errors  of  detail,  into  which  it  is  possible 
that,  in  the  discussion  of  a  question  so  extensive 
and  so  complicated,  I  may  have  fallen ;  but  then 
I  should  have  lessened  its  value  as  an  independ- 
ent testimony.  Several  of  the  works  with  which 
I  have  the  misfortune  to  differ  are  written  with 
ability  and  with  calmness,  especially  those  of 
Wardlaw  and  Leonard  Woods,  of  Halley  and 
Godwin.  Nothing  can  be  better  than  the  spirit 
which  pervades  the  volumes  of  Budd  and  Bick- 
ersteth :  if  I  dissent  from  their  conclusions,  I 
gladly  express  my  conviction  of  their  honesty  ; 
and,  while  contending  against  one  of  the  opin- 
ions of  pious  Pgedo-Baptists,  I  earnestly  hope  that 
nothing  may  ever  diminish  the  cordiality  with 
which  we  may  act  together  in  promoting  the 
cause  of  the  Redeemer. 

I  assume  in  the  following  essay  that  the  word 
baptism  means  immersion,  and  that  to  baptize 
is  to  immerse ;  the  evidence  of  which  fact  I 
hope  to  adduce  in  a  separate  volume. 


LIST  OF  AUTHORS  REFERRED  TO. 


Barnes,  Commentary  on  the  New  Testament. 

Bengel,  Gnomon  Novi  Testament!. 

Bickersteth,  Treatise  on  Baptism.     London,  1840. 

Bloomfield,  Greek  Testament,  Critical  Digest. 

Budd,  Infant  Baptism.     London,  184L 

EUesley,  Annotations  on  the  Gospels. 

Godwin,  Christian  Baptism.     London,  1845. 

Grotius,  Amiotations. 

HaUey,  The  Sacraments.     London,  1844. 

Henry,  Commentary  on  the  Bible. 

Archdeacon  Hoare,  Baptism.     London,  1848. 

Pool,  Annotations  on  the  Bible. 

Scott,  Commentary  on  the  Bible. 

Tracts  for  the  Times,  No.  67. 

Wardlaw,  Dissertation  on  Infant  Baptism.  Glas- 
gow, 1846. 

Whitby,  Commentaiy  on  the  New  Testament. 

Woods,  Lectures  on  Infant  Baptism.  Andover,  U.S., 
1819. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 
I.  The  Commission  to  Baptize  giveu  in  Matt.,  xxviii. .     9 
II.  The  Baptism  mentioned  in  the  Commission  is  Bap- 
tism in  Water ^ 13 

III.  Baptism  of  perpetual  Obligation 23 

CHAPTER  I. 
The  Meaning  of  the  Commission  given  to  the  Apos- 
tles    26 

CHAPTER  II. 
Baptism  to  be  admtnistered  to  none  but  Believers. 

I.  Meaning  of  the  Commissioii..- - 48 

II.  Jewish  Baptism 51 

III.  Baptism  of  John 54 

IV.  First  Baptisms  by  the  Disciples  of  Christ 65 

V.  Apostolic  Baptisms. 

Baptism  of  three  thousand  Converts  at  the  Day 

of  Pentecost 66 

Baptism  of  the  Samaritans 74 

Baptism  of  the  Ethiopian  Eunuch 79 

Baptism  of  Paul 81 

Baptism  of  Cornelius 83 

Baptism  of  Lydia  and  her  Household 84 

Baptism  of  the  Jailer  of  Philippi 85 

Baptism  of  the  Corinthians 88 

Baptism  of  the  Twelve  Ephesians 88 


VIU  CONTENTS. 

Page 

VI.  The  Nature  and  Effects  of  Baptism,  as  declared 

in  the  New  Testament 92 

VII.  The  Practice  of  the  Churches  of  the  fii'st  Centu- 

ries of  the  Christian  Era  affords  Evidence  that 
Believers  alone  ought  to  be  baptized 120 

CHAPTER  ill. 
Infant  Baptism. 
Sect.  I.  General  Considerations  to  show  the  Unlawful- 
ness of  Infant  Baptism 126 

II.  Infant  Baptism  is  not  warranted  by  the  Circum- 
cision of  Jewish  Children 137 

HI.  Promises  to  Parents  and  Children 189 

IV.  The  Blessing  pronounced  by  our  Lord  on  Chil- 
dren   212 

V.  The  "  Holiness"  of  the  Children  of  Believers  (1 

Cor.,vii.,  14) 220 

VI.  The  Baptism  of  Households 227 

VII.  Silence  of  the  New  Testament  respecting  the 
Baptism  of  the  believing  Children  of  Chi-is- 
tians 232 

VIII.  Practice  of  the  early  Churches 241 

IX.  The  Numbers  who  practice  Infant  Baptism 250 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Effects  of  Baptism 263 

CHAPTER  V. 
Practical  Inferences. 
1.  Reasons  why  Members  of  Paedo-Baptist  Church- 
es should  be  baptized 280 

II.  BeaBons  for  Free  Communion 287 

CONCLUSION. 
A  Form  of  Baptismal  Self-dedication  to  God.. .  302 


INTRODUCTION. 


After  our  Lord's  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and 
shortly  before  his  ascension  to  heaven,  he  addressed 
to  his  apostles  these  solemn  words  :  "  All  power  is 
given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth  :  go  ye  there- 
fore and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatso- 
ever I  have  commanded  you  :  and  lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world,"  Matt.,  xxviii., 
18—20.  In  an  examination  of  the  nature  of  Chris- 
tian baptism  this  passage  merits  the  earliest  and  most 
attentive  consideration,  because  it  both  records  the 
institution  of  baptism  and  declares  its  perpetuity. 
To  understand  what  baptism  fs,  we  must  first  ex- 
amine carefully  the  terms  of  the  law  which  renders 
it  obligatory.  After  we  have  examined  the  law  it- 
self, we  may  then  consider  the  various  comments 
which  inspired  writers  have  pronounced  upon  it,  and 
gather  whatever  light  we  may  be  able  from  the  prac- 
tice of  baptism,  both  before  this  enactment  and  after 
it  ;  but  our  first  duty  is  to  examine  the  terms  of  the 
law  itself. 

It  has  been  said,  indeed,  that  Christian  baptism 
was  instituted  before,  because  it  is  recorded  that 
"  Jesus  made  and  baptized  disciples,"  John,  iv.,  1 ; 
iii.,  26.  But  this  incidental  mention  of  the  fact  of 
baptism  having  been  administered  by  the  first  dis- 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

ciples  can  not  amount  to  a  perpetual  law  in  the 
churches.  Four  disciples  only  are  mentioned  as 
having  followed  Christ :  Andrew,  Peter,  Philip,  and 
Nathaniel,  John,  i.,  40—43.  Even  these  had  not 
received  their  call  to  leave  their  nets  and  follow  him, 
Matt.,  iv.,  18.  And  it  was  with  reference  to  a  time 
later  than  this  that  Luke  records,  "  When  it  was 
day  he  called  unto  him  his  disciples  ;  and  of  them 
he  chose  twelve,  whom  also  he  named  apostles,' 
Luke,  vi.,  13.  So  that  these  disciples  baptized  be- 
fore they  were  ministers  of  Christ,  and  when  they 
were  yet  very  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  Gos- 
pel. When  Jesus  began  to  preach,  his  instruction 
exactly  resembled  that  of  John  :  "  Jesus  began  to 
preach  and  to  say.  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heav- 
en is  at  hand,"  Matt.,  iv.,  17.  And  it  is  probable 
that  when  his  disciples  baptized,  they  did  not  bap- 
tize unto  the  name  of  Jesus,  as  John  did  not  baptize 
unto  his  own  name  ;  but  that,  like  John,  they  bap- 
tized in  token  of  the  repentance  of  the  converts  as 
persons  expecting  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  be  short- 
ly set  up.  The  idea  that  they  were  baptized  by  the 
command  of  Jesus,  as  professing  their  faith  in  him 
as  Christ,  is  very  improbable.  For  many  were  bap- 
tized, John,  iii.,  26  ;  iv.,  1.  If  Jesus  had  command- 
ed them  all  openly  to  confess  that  he  was  Christ, 
how  could  he  charge  his  apostles  to  conceal  the  fact 
that  he  was  Christ  ?  How  can  we  understand  the 
following  passage  :  "  When  Jesus  came  into  the 
coasts  of  Caesarea  Philippi,  he  asked  his  disciples, 
saying.  Whom  do  men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man, 
am  ?  And  they  said,  Some  say  that  thou  art  John 
the  Baptist ;   some  Elias  ;   and  others  Jeremias,  or 


INTRODUCTION.  H 

one  of  the  prophets.  He  saith  unto  them,  But  whom 
say  ye  that  I  am  ?  And  Simon  Peter  answered  and 
said,  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 
....  Then  charged  he  his  disciples  that  they  should 
tell  no  man  that  he  was  Jesus  the  Christ,"  Matt., 
xvi.,  13-16,  20.  Either  the  apostles  had  wholly 
ceased  to  baptize,  or  those  who  were  baptized  did 
not  profess  their  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Christ.  More- 
over, as  the  Pharisees  knew  that  many  had  been 
baptized  (John,  iv.,  1),  and  assuredly  learned  the  cir- 
cumstances of  those  baptisms,  if  all  the  converts  had 
by  the  order  of  Jesus  declared  their  faith  in  him  as 
Christ,  how  could  the  Jews  come  round  about  him 
in  the  temple  and  say,  "  How  long  dost  thou  make 
us  to  doubt  ?  If  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us  plain- 
ly," John,  X.,  24.  The  profession  of  the  converts 
by  order  of  Jesus  would  have  been  certain  and  over- 
whelming evidence  that  he  claimed  to  be  Christ,  nor 
could  they  either  then  or  afterward  have  been  in 
want  of  any  proof  of  that  fact.  See  Matt.,  xxvi., 
63—65  ;  Luke,  xxii.,  66—71.  There  were,  doubt- 
less, proofs  enough  afforded  that  he  was  Christ  by 
the  song  of  the  angels,  the  visit  of  the  Magi,  the 
testimony  of  John,  the  miracles  which  he  wrought ; 
but  the  question  is,  whether  he  so  openly  and  so 
constantly  declared  himself  to  be  Christ  that  all  men 
knew  his  claims  ;  and  if  he  did  not  then,  whether 
the  baptism  of  his  disciples  could  involve  a  profes- 
sion of  their  faith  in  him  as  Christ.  To  me  it  ap- 
pears clear  that  they  made  no  such  profession ;  and 
that  the  baptism  then  administered  by  his  disciples 
was  sim.ply,  like  that  of  John,  a  baptism  of  repent- 
ance, because  the  kin2:dom  of  heaven  was  at  hand. 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

Let  us  further  notice  that  there  is  no  statement 
whatever  that  the  twelve  apostles,  subsequently  to 
their  appointment,  ever  baptized  a  single  convert  till 
after  the  ascension  of  Christ.  If  they  did  so,  still 
there  is  no  statement  that  this  was  by  express  com- 
mand of  our  Lord,  nor  that  it  Avas  meant  to  be  a 
perpetual  law  in  his  Church  ;  and  even  if  this  also 
be  assumed  without  proofs,  still  it  remains  certain, 
as  I  think;  that  their  baptism  was  essentially  differ- 
ent from  the  baptism  enjoined  by  Christ  before  his 
ascension,  because  it  was  not  baptism  unto  the  name 
of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  This 
it  could  not  be.  Even  the  apostles  of  Christ,  though 
his  chosen  companions,  and  daily  taught  by  his  own 
lips,  remained  very  ignorant  of  spiritual  truths  till 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  Pentecost.  He 
often  reproved  them  for  their  unbelief,  Matt.,  xvi., 
6-12;  xvii.,  20;  Mark,  xvi.,  14;  Luke,  xxiv., 
21-25.  When  he  told  them  that  he  should  be 
crucified,  they  could  not  comprehend  it,  Matt.,  xvi., 
21-23;  Luke,  ix.,  45;  John,  xvi.,  17,  18;  and 
many  truths,  which  they  were  to  learn  afterward, 
did  Jesus  abstain  from  teaching  them  during  his 
ministry  on  earth,  because  they  were  not  prepared 
to  receive  them,  John,  xvi.,  12.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, it  can  not  be  supposed  that  these  apos- 
tles, still  so  ignorant  and  so  unbelieving,  every  where 
consecrated  men  to  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  associating  with  the  Deity  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  as  one  with  him  in  nature  and  glory, 
and  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  had  not  yet  been  poured 
out,  because  Christ  was  not  yet  glorified,  John,  vii., 
39.      I  am  unable,  therefore,  to  believe  that  Chris- 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

tian  baptism  was  instituted  before  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  am  compelled  to  examine  his 
commission  as  containing  "  the  great  law  of  Chris- 
tian baptism,"  and  "  the  chief  authority  for  the  con- 
tinued practice  of  baptism  in  the  Christian  Church." 
^Halleij,  490,  493. 

II.  Next,  it  is  necessary  to  settle  another  prelim- 
inary question,  i.  e.,  whether  the  baptism  spoken  of 
in  Matt.,  xxviii.,  1 9,  refer  to  the  body  or  to  the  mind. 
Did  our  Lord  command  his  ministers  to  baptize  in 
water  or  in  the  Spirit?  The  following  considera- 
tions may  enable  us  to  determine  that  the  general 
opinion,  which  refers  the  word  to  material,  and  not 
to  spiritual  baptism,  is  correct. 

1 .  "When  men  are  brought  to  believe  in  Christ,  it 
is  necessary  that  they  should  profess  their  faith  in 
him  openly,  Matt.,  X.,  32, 33;  Rom.,  x.,  9, 10  ;  Rev., 
xxi.,  8.  Baptism  unto  the  name  of  the  Father,  the 
Son,  and  the  Spirit,  is  such  a  profession,  which  is 
therefore  necessary  to  the  Church,  and,  as  such,  is 
here  commanded.  The  objection  that  the  baptism 
of  the  Spirit,  as  being  more  important  than  water 
baptism,  must  be  here  understood,  has  the  less  force 
when  we  consider  that  the  spiritual  baptism  is  in- 
volved in  the  discipleship  which  is  previously  men- 
tioned. All  believers  are  baptized  in  the  Spirit  at 
the  time  of  their  conversion  to  God,  John,  i.,  12,  13  ; 
iii.,  5  ;  and,  therefore,  when  our  Lord  commanded 
his  apostles  to  go  and  make  disciples,  he  in  effect  com- 
manded them  to  seek  for  them  by  prayer  and  preach- 
ing the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  next  duty 
was  to  lead  them  to  confess  Christ  by  baptism  in  wa- 
ter.     To  object  that  baptism  here  can  nol  mean  wa- 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

ter  baptism,  Decause  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit  is  more 
important,  is  no  more  sound  than  to  affirm  that  when 
our  Lord  said  to  his  disciples,  "Take,  eat"  (Matt., 
xxvi.,  26),  he  could  not  mean  the  sacramental  bread, 
because  it  is  so  much  more  important  to  eat  his  flesh 
spiritually  by  faith,  John,  vi, ,  5  3—5  5 .  Assuredly  the 
baptism  of  the  Spirit  is  more  important,  but  the  bap- 
tism of  water  is  not  therefore  unnecessary  ;  and  un- 
less we  are  prepared  to  discard  the  Lord's  Supper  as 
unworthy  of  Christ,  we  must  maintain  the  rite  of 
baptism  to  be  worthy  of  him.  If  symbolic  acts  are 
unsuitable  to  our  spiritual  religion,  we  should  not  eat 
the  Lord's  Supper  ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  suit- 
able to  it  in  any  case,  no  symbolic  act  can  be  more 
simple  or  more  expressive  than  immersion. 

This  rite  was  indeed  practiced  by  the  apostles  from 
the  beginning,  Acts,  ii.,  38.  But  on  what  was  their 
practice  founded  ?  They  certainly  did  not  introduce 
will- worship  into  the  churches  :  they  enacted  nothing 
which  was  without  Christ's  authority.  Now  whence 
did  they  derive  this  baptism  of  the  converts  ?  The 
baptisms  mentioned  in  John,  iii.  and  iv.,  were  not 
unto  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spir- 
it, nor  even  unto  the  name  of  Jesus  as  the  Christ ; 
nor  did  they  afford  any  proof  that  Jesus  meant  them 
to  be  universal  in  his  churches,  if,  indeed,  they  con- 
tinued beyond  the  first  months  of  his  ministry.  Now 
if  these  baptisms,  incidentally  mentioned  and  not  ex- 
pressly commanded,  amount  not  to  a  law  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  then  there  is  no  other  law  of  baptism 
than  that  contained  in  Matt.,  xxviii.,  and  in  Mark, 
xvi.  If  these  statements  do  not  contain  an  injunc- 
tion to  baptize,  then  there  is  no  command  directing 


INTRODUCTION,  15 

the  ministers  of  Christ  to  baptize  ;  there  is  no  initia- 
tory rite  in  the  Christian  rehgion ;  there  is  no  ap- 
pointed mode  by  which  a  man  shall  at  his  conver- 
sion individually  confess  Christ :  a  thing  very  diffi- 
cult to  credit. 

It  has  been  argued,  that  a  law  meant  to  be  uni- 
versally binding  on  the  Church  of  Christ  would  have 
been  expressly  recorded  by  all  the  Evangelists,  where- 
as Matthew  alone  has  recorded  it.  But,  indeed, 
Mark  has  recorded  a  similar  declaration  of  our  Lord, 
which  involves  it,  Mark,  xvi.,  1 5,  1 6.  It  is  no  more 
surprising  that  John  has  omitted  to  record  the  insti- 
tution of  baptism  than  that  he  has  omitted  to  notice 
the  institution  of  the  Lord's  Supper  ;  and  if  John 
might  omit  it,  why  might  not  Luke  ?  If  it  may  be 
argued  that  this  is  no  command  to  baptize  in  water 
because  Luke  and  John  have  not  recorded  it,  we  may 
argue  that  he  has  not  promised  to  be  with  his  disci- 
ples to  the  end  of  the  world,  because  these  two  evan- 
gelists are  silent  respecting  it ;  and  deny  that  he  has 
given  any  promise  of  the  Spirit  to  his  Church,  because 
that  promise  is  not  noticed  by  the  Evangelists  Mat- 
thew and  Mark.  See  Luke,  xxiv.,  49  ;  John,  xx., 
22. 

When  Paul  declared  that  he  was  not  sent  to  bap- 
tize (1  Cor.,  i.,  17),  he  referred  to  the  words  of  his 
special  commission,  recorded  Acts,  xxvi.,  17,  and  the 
reason  why  he  rejoiced  to  have  baptized  but  few  Co- 
rinthians, was  that  they  could  not  suppose  him  to  have 
wished  to  form  a  Pauline  party  of  those  baptized  by 
his  own  hands  (1  Cor.,  i.,  15).  But  in  no  respect 
did  his  general  practice  difier  from  that  of  the  other 
apostles  ;  like  him,  they  were  chiefly  sent  to  preach 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

the  Gospel  (Matt.,  xxviii.,  1 9  ;  Mark,  xvi.,  15);  and, 
like  them,  he  baptized  the  converts.  In  various 
churches  he  may  have  left  them  to  be  baptized  by 
his  companions,  as  at  Corinth  ;  but  they  were  all 
baptized  with  his  sanction.  The  converts  were  bap- 
tized at  Philippi  (Acts,  xvi.,  15,  33),  at  Corinth 
(Acts,  xviii.,  8  ;  1  Cor.,  i.,  13  ;  xv.,  29),  at  Ephe- 
sus  (Acts,  xix.,  5  ;  Eph.,  iv.,  5),  at  Colosse  (Col., 
ii.,  12),  and  throughout  Asia  Minor  (1  Pet.,  iii.,  21) ; 
the  disciples  were  also  baptized  at  Rome  (Pv^om.,  vi., 
3)  ;  and  since  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the 
discipline  of  these  churches  difiered  from  that  of  the 
other  apostolic  churches,  we  may  infer  that  all  the 
converts  in  those  churches  were  similarly  baptized. 
From  the  days  of  the  apostles,  all  the  churches,  with- 
out exception,  received  baptism  without  any  other 
commands  than  these  ;  in  the  earliest  Christian  writ- 
ings these  passages  are  appealed  to  as  the  law  upon 
the  subject.  No  one  in  the  first  ages  ever  objected 
to  this  interpretation  on  the  ground  that  a  spiritual 
baptism  was  intended  ;  and  all,  without  exception, 
accepted  water  baptism  as  a  divine  ordinance.  Since, 
then,  an  open  confession  of  Christ  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Christian  life  is  important,  since  the  mode  of 
confessing  him  by  immersion  is  simple  and  signifi- 
cant, since  there  is  no  other  command  of  Christ  en- 
joining baptism,  since  the  apostles  every  where  bap- 
tized their  converts  in  water,  and  since  all  the  church- 
es of  Christ  received  the  practice  from  them,  we  have 
reason  to  think  that  the  command  in  Matt.,  xxviii., 
referred  to  water  baptism,  and  not  to  baptism  of  the 
Spirit. 

2.  It  is  important  to  consider  in  what  sense  the 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

command  would  naturally  be  understood  by  the 
apostles,  because  our  Lord  would  not  so  speak  as  to 
mislead  those  whom  he  was  instructing.  It  is  evi- 
dent, from  the  manner  in  which  baptism  is  men- 
tioned in  the  New  Testament,  that  the  writers  were 
familiar  with  the  term  and  with  its  meaning.  On 
this  occasion,  apparently,  the  apostles  asked  no  ex- 
planation of  the  command,  and  the  evangelist  ofiers 
none  to  his  readers.  The  meaning  was,  it  seems, 
plain  to  every  one.  What,  then,  was  that  mean- 
ing ?  Baptism  in  water  had  been  practiced  by  the 
Jews,  by  John,  and  by  the  apostles  of  John.  We 
read,  "  Then  went  out  to  him  Jerusalem  and  all 
Judea,  and  all  the  region  round  about  Jordan,  and 
were  baptized  of  him  in  Jordan,"  Matt.,  iii.,  5,  6. 
Thousands,  therefore,  had  been  baptized  by  him, 
and  his  baptism  was  the  topic  of  universal  conver- 
sation, Luke,  iii.,  15  ;  John,  i.,  25.  Shortly  after 
the  disciples  of  Jesus  began  to  baptize,  and  numbers 
received  the  rite  from  their  hands,  John,  iii.,  22—26  ; 
iv. ,  1 ,  2 .  When  any  conversation  arose  among  the 
disciples  respecting  baptism  among  the  Jews,  the 
word  always  meant  baptism  in  water  ;  if  they  used 
the  word  with  reference  to  the  ministry  of  John,  it 
meant  baptism  in  water  ;  or  if  they  spoke  of  it  with 
reference  to  the  followers  of  Christ,  it  still  recalled 
the  fact  that  they  had  been  baptized  in  water. 
Every  one  was  familiar  with  the  baptismal  rite,  ev- 
ery one  talked  of  it ;  it  admitted  proselytes  into 
communion  with  the  Jews  ;  it  admitted  converts 
into  the  company  of  John's  disciples  ;  it  was  admin- 
istered to  the  disciples  of  Jesus.  When,  therefore, 
Jesus  said  to  his  apostles,  "  Go  ye  and  teach  all  na- 
B 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

tions,  baptizing  them.  ...  Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  .  .  .  He 
that  believe th  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved" — 
they  must  have  understood  him  to  speak  of  baptism 
in  water. 

It  is  true  that  John  had  spoken  of  a  superior  bap- 
tism when  he  said  to  the  multitudes  of  Jesus,  "  He 
shall  baptize  you  in  the  Holy  Ghost,"  Matt.,  iii.,  11. 
And  Jesus  himself  had  renewed  the  promise  to  his 
disciples  in  these  words  :  "Ye  shall  be  baptized  in 
the  Holy  Ghost  not  many  days  hence,"  Acts,  i.,  5  ; 
but  the  disciples  could  not  understand  our  Lord  to 
mean  in  the  terms  of  the  commission  this  spiritual 
baptism,  because  this  was  a  new  thing  understood 
by  few  (John,  iii.,  1-9),  talked  of  by  few  (John,  xiv., 
17),  and  which  certainly  had  not  yet  superseded, 
as,  indeed,  it  never  afterward  did,  the  common  mean- 
ing of  the  term.  Not  one  Jew  in  twenty  who  used 
the  word  baptism  would  mean  the  baptism  of  the 
Spirit ;  not  one  in  a  thousand  would  think  of  spir- 
itual baptism  when  he  heard  the  simple  word  em- 
ployed ;  and,  therefore,  no  one  would  employ  it  in 
that  sense  ;  and  when  the  apostles  received  the  com- 
mand simply  to  baptize,  they  must  have  understood 
it  as  all  other  Jews  would  of  baptism  in  water. 

Had  any  question  arisen  for  a  moment  as  to  the 
meaning  of  the  term,  it  would,  as  I  think,  have  been 
speedily  settled  in  their  minds,  by  their  noticing  in 
what  manner  both  John  and  Jesus  spoke  of  the  spir- 
itual baptism.  They  had  heard  John  say  of  Jesus, 
"  He  shall  baptize  you  in  the  Holy  Ghost ;"  and 
they  had  heard  Jesus  say,  "  Ye  shall  be  baptized  in 
the  Holy  Ghost ;"  but  they  had  never  heard  either 


INTRODUCTION,  19 

John  or  Jesus  say,  "  Ye  shall  baptize  others  in  the 
Holy  Ghost."  On  the  contrary,  though  John  was 
a  great  prophet,  who  "  turned  many  of  the  children 
of  Israel  to  the  Lord  their  God"  (Luke,  i.,  16),  yet 
he  expressly  disclaimed  this  power  of  baptizing  in 
the  Spirit,  which  was  to  be  the  prerogative  of  Jesus 
alone  :  "  I  indeed  baptize  you  in  water  unto  repent- 
ance, but  he  shall  baptize  you  in  the  Holy  Ghost," 
Mattv,  iii.,  11.  Hitherto,  when  John  had  com- 
manded his  disciples  to  baptize,  he  meant  them  to 
baptize  in  water  ;  when  Jesus  had  commanded  his 
disciples  to  baptize,  he  meant  them  to  baptize  in 
water ;  and  now  that,  without  any  special  promise 
of  higher  power,  he  again  commanded  them  to  bap- 
tize, how  could  they  understand  him  to  mean  some- 
thing totally  new,  or  suppose  him  incidentally,  and 
without  any  explanation,  to  confer  a  power  withheld 
even  from  John  the  Baptist  ?  But  as  Jesus  knew 
that  the  disciples  must  understand  him  to  mean  that 
they  should  baptize  in  water,  he  certainly  did  mean  it. 

3.  We  have  also  satisfactory,  positive  evidence 
that  our  Lord  here  commanded  his  disciples  to  bap- 
tize in  water. 

Like  John,  the  ministers  of  Christ  to  the  end  of 
time  are  sent  forth  to  turn  many  to  God  (Luke,  i., 
16)  ;  but,  like  him,  they  are  unable  to  baptize  in 
the  Holy  Ghost,  Matt.,  iii.,  11.  This  baptism  in 
the  Spirit,  which  is  the  regeneration  of  the  soul,  is 
exclusively  the  work  of  God.  Men  may  be  em- 
ployed by  him  to  preach,  but  the  work  of  regenera- 
ting a  spirit,  of  giving  life  to  a  dead  soul,  the  work 
of  the  new  creation,  is  always  ascribed  to  God  and 
to   Christ — never   to  ministers.      See  Acts,  ii.,  33, 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

47  ;  John,  i.,  13  ;  Tit.,  iii.,  5 ;  James,  i.,  18  ;  1  Pet., 
i.,  3  ;  1  John,  iii.,  9  ;  1  Cor.,  iii.,  5,  9  ;  2  Cor.,  v., 
17  ;  Eph.,  ii.,  1-5,  11,  &c.,  &c.  The  ministers  of 
Christ,  therefore,  are  here  not  called  to  do  what  is 
exclusively  the  work  of  God,  to  baptize  in  the  Spirit, 
but,  as  their  appropriate  work,  to  lead  those  whom 
God  has  baptized  in  his  Spirit  to  profess  their  change 
of  mind  by  baptism  in  water.  Nowhere  can  bap- 
tism, when  it  stands  alone,  be  shown  to  refer  to 
spiritual  baptism.  But  both  the  word  and  the 
phrase  which  are  here  employed  are  employed  of  the 
baptism  in  water. 

First,  let  us  observe  the  New  Testament  use  of 
the  word  baptism. 

"  Then  Peter  said  unto  them.  Repent  and  be  bap- 
tized, every  one  of  you,"  Acts,  ii.,  38. 

"  Then  they  that  gladly  received  his  word  were 
baptized,"  Acts,  ii.,  41. 

"  When  they  believed  Philip  .  .  .  they  were  bap- 
tized. .  .  .  Then  Simon  himself  believed  also  ;  and 
when  he  was  baptized,  he  continued  with  Philip," 
Acts,  viii.,  12,  13. 

"  Many  of  the  Corinthians  hearing,  believed,  and 
were  baptized,"  Acts,  xviii.,  8. 

"  He  said  unto  them.  Unto  what  then  were  ye 
baptized  ?  And  they  said.  Unto  John's  baptism. 
Then  said  Paul,  John  verily  baptized  with  the  bap- 
tism of  repentance,  saying  unto  the  people  that  they 
should  believe  on  Him  which  should  come  after  him, 
that  is,  Christ  Jesus.  When  they  heard  this,  they 
were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus," 
Acts,  xix.,  3-5. 

*'  I  thank  God  that  I  baptized  none  of  you  but 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

Crispus  and  Gaius,  lest  any  should  say  that  I  had 
baptized  in  mine  own  name.  And  I  baptized  also 
the  household  of  Stephanus  ;  besides,  I  know  not 
whether  I  baptized  any  other.  For  Christ  sent  mc 
not  to  baptize,  but  to  preach  the  Gospel,"  1  Cor.,  i., 
14-17. 

Without  comment  on  these  passages,  we  can  at 
once  see  that  in  them  all  baptism  alone,  without  any 
mention  of  water,  means  baptism  in  water,  and  not 
baptism  in  the  Spirit. 

Next,  let  us  notice  the  New  Testament  use  of  the 
phrase  "  baptism  unto  the  name  of  God."  I  should 
not  omit,  in  passing,  to  recall  the  phrase  in  the 
prophecy  of  Jeremiah,  "  Circumcise  yourselves  to  the 
Lord"  (Jer.,  iv.,  4),  because  "  circumcision  to  the 
Lord"  is  similar  to  "  baptism  to  the  Lord,"  both  ex- 
ternal acts  betokening  the  same  duty  of  sanctification 
and  dedication  to  God.  Several  times  are  similar 
phrases  used  in  the  New  Testament,  of  which  the 
following  are  instances  : 

"  They  were  all  baptized  unto  Moses  in  the  cloud 
and  in  the  sea,"  1  Cor.,  x.,  2.  They  were  marked 
to  be  the  disciples  of  Moses,  by  following  him  into 
the  Red  Sea,  where  they  were  buried  for  a  while 
within  the  cloud  and  sea  which  surrounded  them. 

"  Were  ye  baptized  unto  the  name  of  Paul,"  eig 
TO  bvofia  'n.av?iov  (1  Cor.,  i.,  13),  were  you  dedica- 
ted by  your  baptism  in  water  to  be  disciples  of  Paul  ? 

"  Only  they  were  baptized  elg  to  bvojia,  unto  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  Acts,  viii.,  16. 

"  When  they  heard  this  they  were  baptized  eig 
TO  bvofia,  unto  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  Acts, 
xix.,  5. 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

As  in  all  these  places  the  phrases  "  to  be  baptized 
unto  the  name"  of  any  one  means  to  be  dedicated  by 
water  baptism  to  the  service  of  any  one,  the  similar 
phrase  in  the  commission  to  the  apostles  must  mean 
the  same  thing ;  and  when  Jesus  said,  "  Baptize 
them  unto  the  name  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  he  meant.  Dedicate  them  by 
water  baptism  to  the  service  of  the  Triune  God. 

As  all  the  direct  evidence  is  in  favor  of  interpret- 
ing the  word  baptism  when  it  stands  alone  in  the 
New  Testament  to  mean  water  baptism,  and  as 
"  antecedent  probabilities,"  if  there  be  any,  "  are  of 
very  small  value,  if  opposed  by  direct  evidence," 
"  scarcely  deserving  to  be  taken  into  account"  (^God- 
win, 143),  we  may  unhesitatingly  conclude  that  the 
commission  to  the  ministers  of  Christ  to  baptize  is  a 
command  to  them  to  baptize  in  water. 

On  the  whole,  as  it  seems  to  me,  we  have  abund- 
ant reason  to  conclude  that  the  command  in  the 
commission  to  the  ministers  of  Christ  to  baptize  is  to 
baptize  in  water  ;  and  that  it  is  the  will  of  Christ 
that  disciples  or  believers  in  him  should  be  baptized 
in  water  in  all  successive  generations. 

On  the  same  grounds,  all  the  other  passages  of  the 
New  Testament  in  which  baptism  is  mentioned  alone 
must,  unless  special  reasons  can  be  adduced  for  the 
contrary,  be  understood  to  mean  baptism  in  water. 
In  Rom.,  vi.,  3,  and  Gal.,  iii.,  27,  believers  are  said 
"  to  be  baptized  unto  Christ ;"  and  in  CoL,  ii.,  12, 
"to  be  buried  with  him  in  baptism."  Eph.,  iv.,  5, 
reminds  us  that  among  Christians  there  is  "  one  bap- 
tism ;"  and  the  Apostle  Peter  declares  (1  Peter,  iii., 
21),  «'  Baptism  doth  save  us  ;"   all  which  passages, 


[NTRODUCTION.  23 

for  the  reasons  above  assigned,  must  be  understood  to 
mean  baptism  in  water. 

III.  Further,  this  command  to  baptize,  or  to  im- 
merse in  water,  must  be  understood  to  be  of  perpet- 
ual authority,  and  to  bind  the  ministers  of  Christ  to 
baptize  his  disciples  to  the  end  of  time,  for  the  follow- 
ing reasons,  among  others  : 

1 .  As  our  Lord  has  here  commanded  his  disciples 
to  disciple  and  to  baptize  the  nations,  with  the  as- 
surance that  while  they  are  accomplishing  this  mis- 
sion he  will  be  with  them  ecjg  rrj^  avvTeXelag  rov 
aiutvog,  "  to  the  end  of  the  world,"  it  follows  that 
they  must  continue  to  baptize  until  the  end  of  the 
world.* 

2.  As  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit  began  at  Pen- 
tecost, and  the  kingdom  of  Christ  began  then  to  be 
established,  whatever  was  then  practiced  generally 
by  the  apostles  in  the  churches  became  a  law  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  which  was  not  meant  to  pass 
away  like  the  Mosaic  ceremonial,  but  to  last;  and 
since  the  apostles  administered  baptism  to  their  con-* 
verts,  it  must  still  be  administered  to  the  same  class 

*  "  Alijv,  an  age,  a  long  space  of  time,  a  period.  -O  aldv  ov- 
Toc,  this  present  world." — Liddell.  "  Aluv,  the  present  world;" — 
Robinson.  "  Mundus  orbis  terrarum  in  Nova  Testamentum  6  aidv 
dicitur." — Schleusner.  The  word  is  used  to  express  the  present 
world  :  Matt.,  xii.,  32;  xiii.,  22,  39;  Mark,  x.,  30 ;  Luke,  i.,  70; 
xvi.,  8 ;  xviii.,  30  ;  xx.,  34, 35  ;  Acts,  xv.,  18 ;  Eph.,  i.,  21.  "  Hence," 
says  Schleusner,  "  it  appears  that  '  this  world'  does  not  ever  sig- 
nify in  the  New  Testament  the  times  of  the  Old  Testament,  nor 
the  'world  to  come'  the  times  of  the  Messiah."  See  Heb.,  i.,  2; 
xi.,  3. 

"  IvvTeTida,  accomplishment."— iiddeZ/.  "  Full  end,  consum- 
mation."— Robinson.  Matt.,  xiii.,  39,  40,  49 ;  from  ovvteMo),  "  to 
accomplish,"  "  to  end,"  used  Matt.,  vii.,  28 ;  Luke,  iv.,  13 ;  Acts, 
xxi.,  27. 


24  INTRODUCTION. 

of  persons.  No  reason  can  be  assigned  for  the  discon- 
tinuance of  baptism  now,  which  was  not  equally  valid 
at  the  period  wherein  the  apostles  were  baptizing. 

3.  Baptism  being  the  appointed  method  by  which 
the  first  converts  professed  their  faith  in  Christ,  is  as 
suitable  to  our  times  as  to  theirs.  As  Judaism  had 
its  initiatory  rite,  so  is  it  useful  that  Christianity 
should  have  its  initiatory  rite  likewise.  A  profes- 
sion of  faith  is  necessary  at  the  beginning  of  a  Chris- 
tian life,  and  no  act  of  profession  can  be  more  solemn 
or  expressive  than  this. 

4.  The  terms  in  which  baptism  is  spoken  of  in  the 
New  Testament  are  such  as  to  forbid  the  notion  that 
it  was  intended  for  a  limited  period  alone  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Christian  era.  Our  Lord's  solemn 
words  are,  "  He  that  helieveth  and  is  baptized  shall 
be  saved,''  Mark,  xvi.,  16.  To  the  Jewish  multitude 
the  Apostle  Peter  said,  ''Repent,  and  be  baptized 
every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for 
the  remission  of  sins,''  Acts,  ii.,  38.  By  baptism 
believers  are  said  to  be  "  buried  ivith  Christ,"  and 
to  ''rise  with  him"  (Rom.,  vi.,  3  ;  Col.,  ii.,  12); 
and  baptism  is  said  to  "save  us"  (1  Pet.,  iii.,  21). 
An  ordinance  which  had  such  consequences  was  not 
meant  to  be  discontinued  in  the  churches. 

5.  The  uses  of  baptism  remain  the  same  in  every 
age ;  whatever  advantages  believers  and  churches 
obtained  from  it  in  the  apostolic  age,  they  can  obtain 
now ;  and  if  it  was  necessary  then,  it  must  be  no  less 
necessary  now. 

6.  Our  Lord  has  directed  his  disciples  to  "disciple 
ALL  NATIONS,  baptizing  them;"*  and  since  the  na- 

*  "  All  nations,"  Tldvra  ra  tOvrj,  all  the  nations  of  the  world. 


INTRODUCTION.  25 

tions  generally  are  not  yet  either  converted  or  bap- 
tized, the  command  remains  to  be  accomplished. 

These  conmiands  of  Christ,  therefore,  are  now  in 
force  just  as  when  they  were  first  given  to  the  apos- 
tles ;  and  we  have  to  consider  what  the  duties  are 
which  they  enjoin. 

See  Matt.,  xii.,  18,  21  ;  xxv.,  32 ;  Luke,  xxL,  24 ;  Acts,  ii.,  5  ;  xiv., 
16;  xvii.,  26;  Rom.,  iv.,  17, 13  ;  Rev.,xi.,  9;  xii.,  5,  &c.,  &c. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE     MEANING    OF    THE     COMMISSION     GIVEN    TO    THE 
APOSTLES. 

Having  now  ascertained  that  Christ  has  com- 
manded his  ministers  to  immerse  disciples,  and  has 
commanded  his  disciples  to  be  immersed,  let  us  fur- 
ther examine  the  meaning  of  this  command,  as  de- 
veloped by  the  commission  itself. 

Before  our  Lord  ascended  to  his  glory,  he  said  to 
his  apostles,  ''  Go  ye  and  teach  all  nations,  baptiz- 
ing them  i?i  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things  ivhcot  soever  I  have  commanded  you'' 

The  word  \iaQr\TtvEiv ,  here  translated  "  to  teach," 
is  sometimes  used  in  that  sense,  as  Matt.,  xiii..  52  ; 
but  here  it  means  apparently  "  to  make  a  disciple" 
[Liddell),  <'  to  train  or  teach  as  a  disciple"  (^Robin- 
son), "  to  draw  any  one  to  the  Christian  religion" 
(^Schleusner),  as  Acts,  xiv.,  21.  Three  acts  are 
therefore  enjoined — to  disciple  the  nations,  to  bap- 
tize them,  and  to  teach  them  obedience  to  all  Christ's 
laws. 

Now  there  are  three  ways  in  which  these  words 
may  be  understood,  supposing  the  meaning  of  the 
separate  terms  to  be  ascertained.  First,  We  may 
understand  that  the  second  and  third  commands  are 
explanatory  of  the  first.      "  Baptizing  the  nations  and 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  27 

teaching  them  to  obey  my  commands,  make  disciples 
of  them  ;"  in  other  words,  "  Make  disciples  of  the 
nations  by  baptizing  them  and  by  teaching  them  obe- 
dience." According  to  this  construction  of  the  sen- 
tence, some  maintain  that  persons  are  to  be  baptized, 
not  after  they  are  become  disciples,  but  in  order  to 
their  becoming  so  ;  they  are  not  to  be  made  disciples 
that  they  may  be  baptized  and  taught,  but  to  be  bap- 
tized and  taught  that  they  may  thus  be  made  dis- 
ciples. All  serious  applicants,  they  thinlc,  ought  to 
be  baptized  at  once,  and  then  instructed  that  they 
may  become  disciples  :  the  nations  are  to  be  baptized 
and  then  taught,  there  being  no  other  limit  to  the 
duty  than  the  practicability. 

There  are  serious  objections  to  this  interpretation. 

1 .  Without  previous  knowledge  of  Christ  and  faith 
in  Christ,  the  nations  would  not  be  baptized ;  and  to 
command  the  disciples  to  baptize  the  nations  before 
they  were  converted  was  to  command  what  was  im- 
practicable. How,  for  instance,  would  the  mission- 
aries now  on  the  coast  of  China  be  able  to  baptize 
the  people  of  Canton,  Amoy,  or  Shanghae,  before 
leading  them  to  believe  in  Christ  ?  By  baptism  a 
Hindoo  renounces  caste,  connections,  property  :  will 
he  do  this  before  he  understands  and  believes  the 
Gospel  ? 

2.  If  baptism  precedes  discipleship,  so  does  the 
instruction  in  all  the  details  of  obedience ;  for  the 
second  and  third  commands,  being  both  participles 
present,  must  be  synchronical ;  and  if  the  one  must 
precede  discipleship,  so  must  the  other.  Hence  no 
man  can  be  a  disciple  till  he  is  instructed  in  all  the 
details  of  obedience  as  well  as  baptized,  which  is 


28  BAPTISM. 

contrary  to  the  common  use  of  language,  and  con- 
trary to  fact. 

3.  According  to  this  interpretation,  men  are  to 
be  taught  to  obey  all  the  commands  of  Christ  before 
they  become  his  disciples,  which  is  impossible  ;  for, 
till  men  become  disciples  of  Christ,  they  will  not 
listen  to  his  commands. 

4.  The  most  serious  objection  to  this  interpreta- 
tion is,  that  no  man  is  made  a  disciple  by  being  bap- 
tized and  being  taught  the  details  of  obedience,  but 
by  hearing  and  receiving  the  doctrine  of  Christ. 

5.  In  various  places  in  the  New  Testament,  dis- 
cipleship  is  stated  to  be  different  from  baptism,  and 
to  precede  it.  Thus,  in  John,  iv.,  we  read,  "  When, 
therefore,  the  Lord  knew  how  the  Pharisees  had 
heard  that  Jesus  made  and  baptized  more  disciples 
than  John,  he  left  Judea."  Jesus  therefore  made 
disciples,  and  then  baptized  them.  The  baptism  was 
different  from  the  discipleship,  and  succeeded  it. 

6.  This  interpretation  is  refuted  by  the  practice 
of  the  apostles,  who  led  men  to  believe  the  Gospel 
before  they  baptized  them. 

But  there  are  not  wanting  passages  in  the  New 
Testament  which  show  that  these  three  commands 
may  mean,  "  Make  disciples  of  the  nations  by  lead- 
ing them  to  believe  in  me,  then  baptize  them  as 
disciples,  and  then  teach  them  as  baptized  disciples 
to  obey  all  my  commands." 

Present  participles  thus,  sometimes,  in  the  New 
Testament,  express  actions  which  immediately  fol- 
low the  action  of  the  verb  with  which  they  are  con- 
nected, and  are  accessories  to  it.  Thus  (Matt.,  viii., 
27),  *'  The  men  marveled,  saying,"  «fcc.      When  the 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  29 

wonder  preceded  the  language  and  caused  it  (Matt., 
ix.,  33),  "  The  multitudes  marveled,  saying,"  &c. 
See,  also,  Matt.,  xix.,  25  ;  xxi.,  10,  20  ;  xxvi.,  8, 
&c.  In  all  these  cases  the  emotion  described  pre- 
ceded the  words.  So,  when  Jesus  said,  <'  Go  ye  and 
disciple  the  nations,  baptizing  them,"  the  disciple- 
ship  might  precede  the  baptism,  and  be  its  cause. 
Present  participles  are  connected  in  a  similar  man- 
ner with  words  of  approaching,  as  (Matt.,  xvii.,  14), 
"  Then  came  to  him  a  man,  kneeling  down  to  him  ;" 
Matt.,  xix.,  3,  "  The  Pharisees  came  to  him  tempt- 
ing him."  In  the  one  case  the  man  came  before  he 
knelt,  and  in  the  second  the  Pharisees  came  before 
they  tempted.  So  when  it  was  said  to  the  apostles, 
*'  Disciple  baptizing,"  they  might  disciple  before  they 
baptized.  In  these  and  similar  instances  we  may 
observe,  too,  that  the  verb  and  the  participle  may 
refer  to  different  acts,  and  that  the  participle  may 
describe  something  additional  to  the  principal  action ; 
as,  for  instance  (Luke,  vi.,  36),  ''Lend,  hoping  for 
nothing  again  ;"  again,  "  Lend,  and  when  ye  lend, 
hope  for  no  return."  So  here  the  command  is, 
«'  Make  disciples,  and  as  you  make  disciples,  baptize 
them."  There  are  some  instances  in  which,  if  I 
mistake  not,  three  consecutive  actions  are  expressed 
precisely  as  the  three  acts  are  in  the  commission. 
Thus  (Eph.,  v.,  18-20),  1.  "  Be  filled  with  the  Spir- 
it;" 2.  "  speaking  to  yourselves  in  psalms,  and  hymns, 
and  spiritual  songs,  singing  and  making  melody  in 
your  heart  to  the  Lord,  giving  thanks  always  for  all 
things  ;"  3.  "  submitting  yourselves  one  to  another."* 

*  UlrjpovGde  ev  Hvev/iaTi,  laTiOvvre^  tavTolg,  aSovreg  kol 
TJidXTiovTec;  evxcipLarovvTeq,  VTcoTaaGo/xevot  ak'Ki]\otq,  &;c. 


30  BAPTISM. 

As  here  the  perpetual  thanksgiving  and  the  submis- 
sion to  each  other  are  consequences  of  being  filled 
with  the  Spirit,  so,  in  the  commission,  baptism  and 
instruction  are  to  be  consequences  of  discipleship. 

Eph.,  vi.,  17,  18.  1.  "  Take  the  helmet  of  sal- 
vation, and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the 
word  of  God  ;"  2.  "  praying  always  with  all  prayer 
and  supplication  in  the  Spirit,"  3.  "and  watching 
thereunto  with  all  perseverance  and  supplication  for 
all  saints. "*"  The  soldier  takes  his  armor  first  in  a 
time  of  danger,  and  then  watches  ;  the  Christian  is 
called  to  assume  Christian  tempers  and  the  word  of 
God  as  his  armor,  and  then  to  pray  and  to  watch. 
Just  so,  according  to  the  commission,  the  sinner  is 
called  to  become  a  disciple  first,  and  then  to  profess 
discipleship  in  baptism,  and  to  receive  instruction  in 
the  details  of  a  Christian  life.  The  construction  of 
the  two  sentences  is  exactly  similar,  and  so  is  the 
order  of  the  actions.  In  Eph.,  vi.,  the  two  present 
participles  following  the  verb  express  two  actions 
immediately  following  the  action  of  the  verb,  and 
this  is  exactly  the  case  with  the  present  participles 
which  follow  the  verb  in  Matt.,  xxviii. 

Col.,  iii.,  16.  1.  "  Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell 
in  you  richly  ;"  2.  "  teaching  and  admonishing  one 
another,"  3.  "in  psalms,  and  hymns,  and  spiritual 
songs,  singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts  to  the 
Lord."t  They  were  first  to  store  their  minds  with 
scripture,  and  then  teach  one  another,  and  sing  praise. 

*  Tijv  TTspiKEipalaLav  6(:^aade,  Trpoaeyxofievot  kv  navTi  Katpi^, 
Kal  aypvKvovvTeg  kv  Tvdari  npoGKapTeprjaei. 

t  'O  Xoyog  rov  Xpiarov  kvoiKeiTu  kv  v/xiv,  dtSduKOVTEg  iav- 
rovf ,  ipaTifiolg  adovreg. 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  31 

The  two  present  participles  following  the  verb  ex- 
press actions  immediately  following  the  action  of  the 
verb  ;  and  in  Matt.,  xxviii.,  a  similar  construction 
expresses  the  same  order  of  ideas. 

But  although,  according  to  New  Testament  usage, 
the  two  participles  express,  as  I  think,  actions  sub- 
sequent to  the  action  of  the  principal  verb,  those 
who  will  not  admit  this  construction  are  not  reduced 
to  the  necessity  of  interpreting  the  commission  to 
mean,  "Make  disciples  by  baptizing  and  by  teaching 
to  obey."  The  construction  of  the  sentence  may 
illustrate  the  following  rule  :  "  Every  action  which 
admits  of  being  considered  as  only  accompanying 
another,  which  is  the  main  action,  and  may  thus  be 
represented  as  an  accessory  circumstance  of  another, 
the  Greeks  are  fond  of  expressing  by  the  participle, 
and  even  when  two  finite  verbs  are  joined  by  '  and,' 
one  of  them  is  generally  put  in  the  participle  and 
the  copula  is  omitted Several  participles  fre- 
quently stand  in  one  proposition  without  a  connec- 
tion, where  the  conjunctive  particle  would  represent 
these  verbs  as  three  separate  actions." — MatthicB, 
Participle.  Here,  therefore,  when  our  Lord  said, 
"  Disciple  all  the  nations,  baptizing  them,  teaching 
them  to  obey,"  it  is  the  same  as  if  he  had  said,  "Dis- 
ciple, and  baptize,  and  teach  ;"  the  three  actions  are 
cotemporaneous.  With  respect  to  each  individual, 
the  actions  are  consecutive.  Each  minister  disci- 
ples or  converts  the  individual  first,  then  baptizes, 
and  then  teaches  the  details  of  Christian  character 
and  conduct ;  but,  comprehensively  considered,  these 
actions  are  cotemporaneous,  since  of  the  whole  body 
of  the  ministers  of  Christ,  to  whom  the  commission 


32  BAPTISM. 

is  given,  some  are  preaching  the  Gospel,  some  bap- 
tizing, and  some  teaching  the  details  of  Christian 
duty  at  the  same  time,  through  all  successive  gen- 
erations. So  it  is  said  (Matt.,  ix.,  35),  1.  "Jesus 
went  about  all  the  cities,"  2.  "teaching  in  their 
synagogues,  and  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  king- 
dom," 3.  "and  healing  every  sickness."  In  each 
place  the  preaching  and  the  healing  necessarily  fol- 
lowed the  arrival ;  but  the  three  habits  of  traveling, 
teaching,  and  healing  were,  with  respect  to  the 
whole  tour,  concurrent. 

If,  further,  we  seek  to  determine  the  order  of  the 
actions  in  the  text  which  we  are  examining  by  the 
authority  of  distinguished  men,  we  shall  find  that  the 
commentators  the  most  remarkable  both  for  scholar- 
ship and  for  their  acquaintance  with  the  Bible,  by 
common  consent  understand  our  Lord  to  declare 
that  discipleship  must  precede  baptism,  not  baptism 
discipleship  ;  that  our  Lord  has  ordered  his  minis- 
ters to  disciple  in  order  to  baptize,  not  to  baptize  in 
order  to  disciple  ;  to  baptize  after  conversion,  not  in 
order  to  convert. 

"  Christ  orders  those  to  be  baptized  who  shall 
have  given  their  name  to  the  Gospel,  and  shall  have 
professed  themselves  disciples  ;  partly  that  baptism 
may  be  to  them  the  watchword  of  eternal  life  be- 
fore God,  partly  the  external  sign  of  faith  among 
men.  Therefore,  in  Mark  it  is  said,  '  He  that  be- 
lieveth  and  is  baptized.'  By  which  words  Christ 
joins  baptism  to  doctrine,  so  that  the  former  may 
be  merely  an  accession  to  the  latter.  But  since 
Christ  orders  to  teach  before  baptizing,  and  wills 
that  believers  alone  be  admitted  to  baptism,  bap- 


MEANING    OF    THE   COMMISSION.  33 

tism  seems  not  to  be  rightly  administered  unless 
faith  has  preceded.  And  properly  is  faith  in  the 
word  placed  before  baptism,  since  the  Gentiles  were 
wholly  alienated  from  God,  nor  had  any  thing  in 
common  with  the  elect  people  ;  otherwise  the  figure 
would  be  mendacious,  offering  remission  of  sins  and 
the  gift  of  the  Spirit  to  unbelievers  who  were  not 
as  yet  members  of  Christ." — Calvin.^ 

"  Go  ye  therefore  and  teach  all  nations.  To 
gather  together  my  subjects  and  believers  ....  which 
is  done  by  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  .  .  .  Bai^iz- 
ing  them  for  a  sacrament  of  my  grace  to  them  in 
remission  of  sins,  and  likewise  for  a  token  that  they 
are  bound  on  their  side  to  consecrate  themselves  to 
me." — Diodati.-f 

"■  Teach  all  nations.  Teach  all  the  nations  the 
Christian  doctrine,  and  persuade  them  to  embrace  it, 

*  "  Baptizari  jubet  Christus,  qui  nomen  evangelic  dederint,  se- 
que  professi  fuerint  discipulos  :  partim  ut  illis  baptismus  vitaB  eter- 
1133  sit  tessera  coram  Deo,  partim  apud  homines  externum  fidei 
signum.  Ideoque  apud  Marcum  dicitur,  Q?«'  crediderit  et  baptiza- 
tusfuerit,  quibus  verbis  .  . .  Christus  . . .  doctrinse  baptismum  cop- 
ulat,  ut  hoc  nihil  aliud  sit  quam  illius  accessio.  Verum  quia  do- 
cere  prius  jubet  Christus  quam  baptizare,  et  tantum  credentes  ad 
baptismum  vult  recipi,  videtur  non  rite  administrari  baptismus 
nisi  fides  precesserit.  Merito  autem  ante  baptismum  locatur  ver- 
bi  fides,  quum  gentes  alienae  prorsus  essent  a  Deo,  nee  quicquam 
haberent  cum  electo  populo  commune ;  nam  alioqui  mendax  esset 
figura,  quae  peccatorum  remissionem  et  Spiritus  donum  offerret 
incredulis,  qui  nondum  essent  Christi  membra." — Calvin  on  Matt., 
xxviii.,  19. 

t  "  Andate  adunque,  ed  ammsestrate  tutti  i  popoli,  per  ricog- 
liere  i  miei  sudditi  e  fedeli  .  .  .  il  che  si  far  per  la  predicatione 
deir  evangelic.  Batezzandogli,  per  sagramento  della  mia  gratia 
in  remessione  de'  peccati,  ed  insieme  in  segno  d'obbligatione,  dal 
canto  loro  di  consecrarsi  a  me." 

c 


34  BAPTISM. 

and  to  live  according  to  it,  baptizing,"  &c. — Ham- 
mond. 

"  Go  into  all  nations,  preach  the  Gospel  to  them, 
work  miracles  among  them,  persuade  them  to  come 
in  themselves,  and  to  bring  their  children  with  them  ; 
and  then  admit  them  and  theirs  into  the  Church  by- 
washing  them  with  water." — Henry. 

"  The  writer  of  the  Constitutions,  which  are  as- 
cribed to  Clement,  explains  the  sense,  '  You  must 
first  strip  them  of  all  impiety,  then  impart  piety  to 
them,  and  so  make  them  worthy  of  baptism.'  " — 
Grotius.^ 

"  «  Make  disciples  of  all  nations.'  That  must  be 
first  by  preaching  and  instructing  them  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Christian  faith  ;  and  Mark  expounds  it, 
telling  us  our  Savior  said,  '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.'  " — Poole. 

"  When  made  disciples,  they  were  to  be  baptized 
into  the  name,"  &c. — Boothro7jd. 

*«  Our  Lord's  words,  taken  together  in  both  verses, 
distinctly  enjoin  three  things,  and  that  in  the  fol- 
lowing drder — ixaOrjTeveLV,  (SaTTTL^eiv,  diddoneiv,  i. 
€.,  to  proselyte  men  to  Christ,  to  baptize,  and  to  teach 
them.  It  is  true,  however,  that  adult  persons,  be- 
fore they  can  be  made  Christ's  disciples,  or  be  pros- 
elyted, must  be  instructed,  and  brought  to  believe 
the  great  essential  truths  of  Christianity,  and  even 
to  profess  their  faith  in  them." — Be7iso7t. 

"  There  are  two  words  in  this  passage  which  are 

*  "  Sensum  explicat  scriptor  Constitutionum  quae  Clemente  ad- 
scribuntur :  Aet  vfiag  Ttporepov  miaav  uaifSeiav  e^tXovrag,  Tore 
TTjv  Evaei3ecav  avrolg  iyKaTa[3u?\,?i.eadai  nal  tov  iSanTiainaTog 
ci^iuaat:  Oportet  vos,  exempts  prius  impietate  onini,  deinde  pie- 
tatem  ipsis  inscreic,  ct  sic  cos  baptismo  dignari." 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  35 

translated  *  teach'  and  *  teaching.'  The  former  is 
of  the  same  import  with  that  which  is  rendered  dis- 
ciples, and  it  means  that  general  instruction  which 
was  necessary  to  bring  men  to  profess  themselves 
the  disciples  of  Christ  ;  and  the  other  relates  to 
their  more  particular  subsequent  instruction  in  all 
the  various  parts  of  Christianity." — Scott. 

"  Madrjreveiv  (to  make  disciples)  is  here  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  all  nations,  and  to  engage  them  to  be- 
lieve it  in  order  to  their  profession  of  that  faith  by 
baptism,  as  seems  apparent,  1.  from  the  parallel 
commission,  Mark,  xvi.,  15;  2.  from  the  scripture 
notion  of  a  disciple,  that  being  still  the  same  as  a 
believer.  To  be  made  disciples  here  is  to  be  taught 
to  believe  in  Christ,  that  so  they  might  be  his  disci- 
ples."—  Whitby. 

"  There  are  manifestly  three  things  which  our 
Lord  here  distinctly  enjoins  on  his  apostles  to  exe- 
cute with  regard  to  the  nations,  fiaOrjTEveiv,  (ia-nri- 
^SLV,  diddoKEiv,  that  is,  to  convert  them  to  the 
Christian  faith,  to  initiate  the  converts  into  the 
Church  by  baptism,  and  to  instruct  the  baptized  in 
all  the  duties  of  the  Christian  life." — Campbell, 
Valpy,  Bloomfield. 

"  This  was  the  regular  course  ....  to  change  the 
aoe6eLa  of  the  converts  into  evaedeia,  and  render 

them  worthy  of  baptism Thus,  with  Christians 

collected  from  all  nations,  baptism  was  made  the 
distinguishing  mark  of  their  profession  of  a  common 
faith  ....  iJ,ad7]revecv  is  the  first  initiation  into  the 
principles  preparatory  to  baptism ;  dLddofcetv,  the 
more  complete  instruction  afterward  imparted." — 
EUesley, 


36  BAPTISM. 

Thus  a  general  consent  of  the  best  commentators 
estabhshes  the  sense  of  the  commission  to  be,  that 
the  ministers  of  Christ  should  do  three  consecutive 
duties  :  1  st,  They  should  lead  men  to  be  disciples 
of  Christ  by  faith,  through  instruction  in  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Gospel ;  2dly,  They  should  baptize 
them  as  professed  believers  ;  3dly,  They  should  in- 
struct them  in  the  details  of  Christian  obedience,  and 
lead  them  to  obey  the  will  of  Christ  in  all  things. 
-  This  meaning  of  the  passage  being  established  by 
the  meaning  of  various  passages  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment which  have  a  similar  construction,  and  by  the 
consent  of  the  best  expositors,  is  further  established 
by  the  meaning  of  the  terms  employed.  There  are 
three  expressions  employed — to  make  disciples,  to 
baptize,  to  teach  obedience.  From  the  sense  of  the 
terms,  these  must  be  consecutive  acts  with  respect 
to  each  individual.  The  text  can  not  mean  to  make 
a  man  a  disciple  by  baptizing  and  by  teaching  to 
obey  ;  but  make  him  a  disciple,  then  baptize  him, 
and  then  teach  him  to  obey. 

1.  The  meaning  of  the  word  "disciple"  shows 
that  this  text  means  disciple  and  baptize,  not  disci- 
ple by  baptizing.  Because  a  disciple  means  a  be- 
liever, and  to  make  disciples  must  be  to  lead  men  to 
believe.*      False  professors  of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ 

*  "  MadtjTevo),  in  the  New  Testament,  to  make  a  disciple." — 
Liddell.  "  To  train  as  a  disciple,  to  teach,  to  instruct." — Robin- 
son. "  To  draw  any  one  to  the  Christian  religion,  to  imbue  any- 
one with  the  first  elements  of  the  Christian  religion  ;  /nadTjTevaaTe 
TTuvra  Tu.  edvjj ;  teach  or  render  followers  of  my  doctrine  all  the 
nations,  e.  g.,  jxadr^Tug  ttoleIte,  John,  iv.,  1." — Schleusner.  "  Ma- 
6r]Tf]g,  a  disciple  (from  juadelv,  to  learn),  a  learner,  a  pupil." — 
hiddell.  "  A  follower  of  Christ,  professing  his  doctrine,  a  Chris- 
tian."— Schleusner. 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  37 

are,  indeed,  called  disciples,  because  of  that  profes- 
sion, John,  vi.,  60,  61,  66.  And  Judas,  as  a  pro- 
fessed believer,  was  called  a  disciple.  Matt.,  x.,  1  ; 
Luke,  vi.,  13.  But  as  false  disciples  were  false 
professors  of  faith,  so  true  disciples  are  true  believers, 
Luke,  xiv.,  26,  27,  33  ;  John,  viii.,  31 ;  xiii.,  35; 
XV.,  8. 

The  apostles  were  simply  termed  disciples.  Matt., 
X.,  1 ;  Luke,  vi.,  13;  Lx.,  1  ;  John,  xxi.,  24.  The 
seventy  evangelists  were  simply  termed  disciples, 
Luke,  X.,  1,  17,  23.  The  members  of  the  Church 
at  Jerusalem  were  simply  termed  disciples.  Acts,  i., 
15;  vi.,  1  ;  ix.,  1.  And  the  members  of  other 
churches  are  so  termed,  Acts,  xiii.,  52  ;  xiv.,  22  ; 
XX.,  1,  7  ;  xxi.,  4,  16.  No  persons  are  true  disci- 
ples but  those  who  obey  him ;  according  to  our 
Lord's  express  statements  :  ''  If  ye  continue  in  my 
word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed,"  John,  viii., 
31.  "Herein  is  my  Father  glorified  that  ye  bear 
much  fruit,  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples,"  John,  xv.,  8. 
Assuming  that  the  name  of  disciple  might  be  given 
to  any  unconverted  man  who  taught  instruction  in 
the  Christian  religion,  it  was  not  such  a  disciple 
that  Jesus  desired  to  make.  He  surely  wished  to 
have  true  followers,  not  false  ones  ;  and  when  he 
told  them  that  while  they  were  occupied  in  making 
disciples  he  would  be  with  them  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  he  certainly  promised  the  aid  of  his  grace  to 
make  true  disciples,  not  spurious  ones ;  not  to  im- 
part to  ungodly  men  some  elementary  and  abortive 
notions  of  Christianity,  but  to  turn  them  from  the 
power  of  Satan  unto  God,  Acts,  xxvi. ,  1 6-1 8 .  When, 
therefore,  the  apostles  were  called  to  make  disciples 


38  BAPTISM. 

of  the  nations  by  the  power  of  their  Master  (verses 
17,  20),  they  were  called  to  make  true  disciples, 
such  disciples  as  apostles,  evangelists,  and  members 
of  living  churches.  But  baptism  can  not  make 
such.  Persons  coming  to  be  baptized  are  at  the 
time  either  believers  or  unbelievers  ;  if  they  are  un- 
behevers,  baptism  can  not  make  them  believers,  and 
therefore  can  not  make  them  disciples  ;  and  if  they 
are  believers,  they  are  disciples  already.  Baptism 
can  not  make  a  disciple  in  the  lowest  sense,  because 
it  can  not  make  a  man  even  a  learner  of  the  Chris- 
tian doctrine,  still  less  can  it  make  a  true  disciple  a 
believer  in  Christ.  The  children  of  God  are  born 
again  by  the  word  of  God,  James,  i.,  18 ;  1  Pet,,  i., 
23;  Eph.,  v.,  26.  And  all  who  beHeve  are  his 
children,  John,  i.,  12  ;  Gal.,  iii.,  26.  But  the  chil- 
dren of  God  are  disciples  of  Christ,  and  all  who  be- 
lieve are  disciples  of  Christ.  Faith  comes  by  hear- 
ing the  truth,  not  by  baptism,  Rom.,  x.,  17.  And, 
therefore,  to  make  disciples  is  to  bring  men  to  believe 
by  preaching  to  them  the  Gospel,  not  to  baptize 
them ;  and  the  text  must  mean  disciple  and  then 
baptize,  not  disciple  by  baptizing. 

If  any  one  still  insist  that  the  word  "  disciple" 
may  be  taken  in  its  lowest  sense  to  signify  a  mere 
learner,  and  that,  therefore,  if  discipleship  precedes 
baptism,  baptism  may  precede  true  faith,  I  ask  what 
term  could  have  been  selected  to  express  that  true 
faith  must  precede  baptism.  Had  our  Lord  said, 
"  Go,  make  men  believers,  make  men  saints,  con- 
vert them,  lead  them  to  regeneration,  and  then  bap- 
tize them ;"  still  objectors,  nothing  daunted,  might 
have  said,  "  Some  men  believe  without  being  con- 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  39 

verted.  See  Luke,  viii.,  13.  Saints  do  not  mean 
holy  persons,  but  professors  of  Christianity.  See 
Locke  on  1  Cor.,  i.,  1,  2.  Conversion  means  re- 
nunciation of  idolatry,  and  men  are  regenerated  by 
water,  John,  iii.,  5.  So  nothing  need  precede  bap- 
tism but  a  general  belief  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ." 
In  the  infirmity  of  language,  any  text  may  be  evad- 
ed by  applying  to  its  terms  low  meanings  against 
common  usage  and  against  the  indications  of  the 
context. 

We  may  further  learn  that  baptism  must  follow 
discipleship  from  the  meaning  of  baptism  itself  The 
use  of  water  is  employed  in  scripture  symbolically,  to 
signify  the  purification  of  the  soul.  To  wash  the 
soul  means,  in  scripture  phraseology,  to  free  it  from 
the  guilt  and  the  defilement  of  sin,  Ps.  li.,  2,  7  ; 
Isa.,  i.,  16  ;  Jer.,  iv.,  14.  A  religious  washing  must, 
at  the  least,  signify  that  the  soul  requires  to  be  puri- 
fied ;  a  religious  immersion  must  express  the  com- 
pleteness of  that  required  purification.  When,  there- 
fore, a  person  voluntarily  receives  immersion,  he  vol- 
untarily receives  a  rite  which  expresses  his  need  of 
total  purification.  But  how  can  any  one  receive  vol- 
untarily a  rite  which  expresses  his  need  of  purifica- 
tion without  himself  expressing  that  need  ?  And 
how  can  a  man  honestly  express  his  need  of  purifica- 
tion without  seeking  to  be  purified  ?  And  how  can 
a  man  seek  to  be  entirely  purified,  and  not  seek  to 
lead  a  life  of  holiness  and  piety  ?  He  who  does  all 
this  is  a  true  disciple  ;  and  he  who  professes  all  this 
is  a  professed  disciple.  And  since  baptism  itself  im- 
plies all  this,  it  is  in  itself  a  profession  of  disciple- 
ship; and,  therefore,  baptism,  from  the  symbolical 


40  BAPTISM. 

meaning  of  the  act,  ought  to  be  preceded  by  disciple- 
ship. 

I  think  that  we  may  learn  the  same  thing  from 
the  next  words  employed  by  our  Savior  in  the  text. 
When  he  said,  '«  Go  ye  and  disciple,  baptizing  elg  rd 
bvofia,  unto  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  he  manifested  his  will  that 
baptism  should  follow  discipleship.  The  ordinary 
meaning  oielg  is  "  into"  or  "  unto  ;"  and  in  the  New 
Testament  it  is  used  to  express  dedication  to  any  one. 
The  following  are  instances  :  Pwom.,  xi.,  36,  "  To  him, 
elg  avTov,  are  all  things ;"  1  Cor.,  x.,  2,  "  They  were 
all  baptized  unto  Moses,  elg  rbv  MGJvorjv ;"  1  Cor.,  i., 
13,  "  Were  ye  baptized  unto  the  name,  elg  rd  ovoiia, 
of  Paul?"  Rom.,  vi.,  3,  "As  many  of  us  as  were 
baptized  unto  Jesus  Christ,  elg  XpLOTov"  In  these 
cases,  to  be  baptized  unto  Christ,  or  unto  Moses,  or 
tmto  Paul,  means  so  as  to  be  his  follower  or  disciple, 
consecrated  to  his  service.  "  The  expression,  to  be 
baptized  unto  Christ,  in  the  style  of  Paul,  does  not 
designate  a  simple  external  profession  of  the  religion 
of  the  Gospel,  but  the  act  of  heart  by  which  one  ac- 
cepts that  religion ;  an  act  of  which  submission  to 
the  rite  of  baptism  was  the  public  and  ordained  ex- 
pression."=^  Hence  immersion  unto  the  name  of  God 
means  consecration  to  God  ;  and  the  words,  "  Bap- 
tizing them  unto  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  means  consecrating 
them  unto  the  Triune  God.f      Such  being  the  mean- 

*  Hodge,  Rom.,  vi.,  3.    French  translation. 

t  Unto  the  name.  "  Per  consegrargli  al  solo  vero  Iddio  rivelato 
in  tre  persone." — Diodati. 

Unto  the  name.  "  Into  the  profession  of  the  Trinity,  i.  c,  one 
God  in  three  persons,  in  opposition  to  all  false  gods  and  false  wor- 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  41 

ing  of  baptism  unto  the  name  of  God,  recognized  by 
the  best  commentators  with  a  very  general  consent, 
how  can  an  ignorant  and  unconverted  man  make 
this  profession  without  hypocrisy  or  presumption  ? 
And  how  can  a  minister  of  Christ,  without  unfaith- 
fulness to  his  commission,  sanction  such  worthless 
profession  ?  Certainly  our  Lord  did  not  intend  it ; 
and  therefore,  when  he  said,  "  Disciple  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  unto  the  name  of  the  Father,  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  he  ordained  not  that 
they  should  be  immersed  in  water  unto  the  name  of 
God,  with  a  view  to  eventual  consecration  to  him, 
but  that  they  should  consecrate  themselves  to  him 

ship  ;  and  thereby  to  dedicate  and  give  up  ourselves  to  them,  ac- 
cording to  their  personal  relations  :  to  the  Father,  as  our  Creator, 
to  love,  serve,  obey  him,  and  be  happy  in  the  enjoyment  of  him  ; 
to  Christ,  as  our  Redeemer,  to  free  us  from  the  guilt  of  sin  and  the 
wrath  of  God  ;  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  guide  and  sanctify  us,  and 
comfort  us  with  the  sense  of  our  present  interest  in  God's  love, 
and  the  hopes  of  future  glory." — Samuel  Clark. 

Unto  the  name.  "  Into  the  profession  of  the  Trinity  of  the  per- 
sons in  the  one  Divine  Being ;  dedicating  the  persons  baptized  to 
God  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  and  thereby  obliging  them 
to  worship  and  serve  God  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
for  in  baptism  there  is  both  a  solemn  dedication  of  the  person  to 
God  and  a  solemn  stipulation,  the  person  baptized  either  covenant- 
ing for  himself  that  he  will  be  the  Lord's,  or  his  parents  covenant- 
ing for  him." — Poole. 

"To  be  baptized  unto  any  one,  or  unto  his  name,  is  to  bind  and 
devote  one's  self  to  him,  and  to  wish  to  be  called  by  his  name." — 
Grotius. 

"  To  be  baptized  into  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  implies  a  professed  dependence  on  these 
three  divine  persons,  jointly  and  equally,  and  a  devoting  of  our- 
selves to  them  as  worshipers  and  servants," — Benson  and  Scott. 

"  Baptizing  them  unto  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  by  a 
solemn  profession  of  the  only  true  religion,  and  by  a  solemn  devo- 
tion to  the  service  of  the  sacred  TnnWy."  —Tiarnn^. 


42  BAPTISM. 

first,  and  then  profess  it  by  immersion  in  water  unto 
his  name. 

We  may  learn,  also,  that  cliscipleship  precedes 
baptism  by  the  last  clause  of  the  commission  ;  for  if 
baptism  is  to  precede  discipleship  because  the  com- 
mand to  baptize  is  in  the  present  participle,  then  the 
teaching  of  the  details  of  Christian  obedience  must 
precede  discipleship,  because  the  command  to  teach 
is  likewise  in  the  participle  present.  Now  how  can 
ministers  teach  all  the  commands  of  their  Master  to 
those  who  are  not  his  disciples  ?  Such  persons  can 
not  be  expected  to  receive  his  orders.  The  reason 
why  persons  are  expected  to  receive  them  is,  that, 
being  disciples,  they  recognize  his  authority.  A  serv- 
ant will  listen  to  his  master's  commands,  and  all 
others  will  spurn  them.  Hence  it  is  apparent  that 
when  Christ  said,  "  Disciple  the  nations,  teaching 
them  to  obey  all  my  commands,"  he  meant,  "  Make 
them  disciples,  and  then  teach  them  to  obey."  But 
since  the  expression,  "  Disciple  teaching,"  means  dis- 
ciple first,  and  then  teach,  the  expression,  "  Disciple 
baptizing,"  likewise  means  disciple  first,  and  then 
baptize. 

We  may  further  learn  the  same  thing  from  the 
terms  in  which  our  Lord,  shortly  after  the  baptismal 
commission  recorded  by  Matthew,  renewed  that  com- 
mission according  to  the  narrative  of  Mark,  saying 
to  the  eleven  disciples  as  follows,  "  Go  ye  into  all 
the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature. 
He  that  helicveth  and  is  ba2')tized  shall  be  saved,"" 
Mark,  xvi.,  16,  17.  Here  our  Lord  declared,  first, 
That  his  disciples  should  preach  the  Gospel,  urging 
men  in  general  to  believe  it,  which  answers  to  the 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  43 

corresponding  command  in  Matthew  to  disciple  the 
nations  ;  and,  secondly,  He  promised  salvation  to  all 
who  should  first  believe  and  then  be  baptized.  That 
this  is  the  order  of  ideas  in  this  command  is  appar- 
ent, first,  from  the  order  of  the  terms  employed  ; 
and,  secondly,  from  the  connection  here  established 
between  baptism  and  salvation. 

The  order  of  words  in  any  sentence  expressing 
various  actions  generally,  though  not  always,  indi- 
cates the  order  of  the  actions  themselves,  because  in 
expressing  various  consecutive  acts  it  is  natural  to 
express  the  first  action  first.  The  instances  of  this 
harmony  between  the  order  of  the  words  and  the 
order  of  the  acts  are  innumerable,  and  generally  we 
should  feel  that  a  reversal  of  the  order  of  the  words 
would  violate  our  sense  of  propriety.  A  few  speci- 
mens may  illustrate  this  fact.  Had  the  wise  men 
who  visited  Bethlehem  said  respecting  Jesus,  not 
*'  We  have  seen  his  star  in  the  east,  and  are  come 
to  worship  him,"  but,  "  We  are  come  to  worship, 
and  have  seen  his  star,"  they  would  have  spoken 
less  exactly.  Matt.,  ii.,  2.  If  John  had  said  to  his 
disciples,  "  Every  tree  Vv^hich  bringeth  not  forth  good 
fruit  is  cast  into  the  fire  and  hewn  down,"  he  would 
have  spoken  less  properly  than  when  he  said  of  such 
a  tree,  "  It  is  hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  fire," 
Matt.,  iii.,  10.  And  similarly,  when  our  Lord  said, 
"  The  rain  descended  and  the  floods  came"  (Matt., 
vii.,  27),  the  order  of  words  indicated  the  order  of 
the  facts.  And  that  there  is  in  our  text  a  harmony 
between  the  order  of  the  words  and  of  the  facts,  is 
rendered  more  probable  by  our  finding  the  same  or- 
der to  be  invariable  in  the  New  Testament.      If  the 


44  BAPTISM. 

order  of  the  facts  had  been  that  persons  should  first 
be  baptized  and  then  beUeve,  we  should  find  this  or- 
der of  words  in  some  places,  but  this  latter  order  of 
words  is  never  found.  Acts,  ii.,  38,  we  read,  "  Re^ 
pent  and  be  baptized  ;"  Acts,  xviii.,  18,  "  Many  be- 
lieved and  were  baptized  ;"  and  Eph.,  v.,  4,  "  There 
is  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism."  But  we  never 
find,  <'  Be  baptized  and  repent ;"  "  They  were  bap- 
tized and  believed  ;"  "  There  is  one  baptism,  one 
faith."  This  constant  order  of  the  words  can  not 
be  accidental,  and  must  intimate  that  belief  precedes 
baptism  in  reality,  as  the  one  precedes  the  other  in 
the  language  of  scripture.  =^ 

Secondly,  there  is  a  connection  established  in  these 
words  between  baptism  and  salvation  which  forbids 
the  idea  that  baptism  precedes  belief  It  is  not  in- 
deed said  by  our  Lord  that  he  who  is  not  baptized 
shall  be  damned,  because  many  cases  are  conceiv- 
able in  which  baptism  would  be  impossible  ;  but 
since  it  is  said,  "  He  who  believes  and  is  baptized 
shall  be  saved,"  we  must  conclude  that  baptism  is 
generally  necessary  to  salvation.  And  this  is  still 
more  strongly  stated  by  our  Lord  in  his  recorded 
conversation  with  Nicodemus,  "  Except  a  man  be 
born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God,"  John,  iii.,  5.  And  Peter 
expressly  says,  "  Baptism  doth  save  us,"  1  Peter,  iii., 
2 1 .     Now,  if  baptism  had  been  the  initiatory  rite 

*  In  John,  iii.,  5,  which  is  indeed  a  somewhat  similar  passage, 
the  water  is  mentioned  before  the  Spirit,  because  the  thought  to 
be  conveyed  to  Nicodemus,  that  regeneration  by  the  Spirit  was 
the  essential  thing,  required  that  this  spiritual  regeneration  should 
be  mentioned  last.  There  is  in  words  an  order  of  emphasis  as 
well  as  an  order  of  time. 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  45 

by  which  heathens  without  faith  were  to  be  made 
catechumens,  who  could  clearly  be  made  so  as  well 
without  it,  how  could  it  be  generally  necessary  to 
salvation  ?  Is  it  conceivable,  on  this  hypothesis,  that 
"  no  one  can  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven  without 
being  born  of  water  ?"  or  is  the  Apostle  Peter's  state- 
ment intelligible  that  "  baptism  doth  save  us  ?"  But 
if  baptism  follows  faith,  all  these  scriptural  state- 
ments become  plain.  Since  men  are  pardoned  and 
justified  for  the  sake  of  Christ  alone  (Rom.,  iii.,  4  ; 
1  Cor.,  i.,  30),  they  are  therefore  justified  by  faith 
alone  without  the  deeds  of  the  law.  John,  i.,  12, 
13  ;  iii.,  16,  36  ;  xiii.,  39;  xvi.,  31  ;  Rom.,  iii.,  28  ; 
Gal.,  iii.,  26.  But  as  a  true  faith  must  manifest 
itself  and  baptism  is  one  appointed  mode  of  its  mani- 
festation, the  faith  which  does  not  lead  one  who  says 
that  he  believes  in  Christ,  and  who  knows  that  Christ 
has  enjoined  baptism  upon  his  disciples,  to  be  bap- 
tized, is  a  false  faith.  Since  he  who  believes  in 
Christ  must  confess  him,  confession  is  declared  to  be 
as  necessary  to  salvation  as  faith  :  "  Whosoever  shall 
confess  me  before  men,  him  ivill  I  confess  also  before 
my  Father  ivhich  is  in  heaven.  But  ivhosoever 
shall  deny  me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny  be- 
fore my  Father  lohich  is  in  heaven,''  Matt.,  x.,  32, 
33.  ^^  If  thou  shalt  confess  ivith  thy  mouth  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in  thy  heart  tlmt  God 
luith  raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved. 
For  loith  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteous- 
ness, and  luith  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto 
salvation,''  Rom.,  x.,  9,  10.  "  Bttt  the  fearfid  .  .  . 
shall  have  their  iiart  in  the  lake  luhich  burneth 
with  fire  and  hrhnstone,"  Rev.,  xxi.,  8.     We  arc 


46  BAPTISM. 

saved  by  grace  through  faith,  without  the  deeds  of 
the  law  ;  but  faith  without  a  confession  of  Christ  is 
impossible.  And  therefore,  since  confession  is  the 
necessary  manifestation  of  faith,  it  is  as  necessary  to 
salvation  as  faith  is.  And  as  baptism  is  an  appoint- 
ed method  of  confession,  it  is  generally,  to  those  who 
know  Christ's  appointment,  as  necessary  as  confes- 
sion is.  Since,  therefore,  faith  is  said  to  save  us, 
because  it  is  the  instrument  through  which  God  saves 
us,  so  baptism  is  said  to  save  us,  because  it  is  the 
necessary  expression  of  true  faith.  If  baptism  is 
placed  before  faith  as  the  initiatory  rite  of  catechu- 
mens, we  can  not  understand  why  it  should  be  gen- 
erally necessary  to  salvation  ;  but  if  it  be  placed  after 
faith,  as  its  appointed  expression,  then  its  necessity 
as  a  confession  of  Christ  is  plain.  And  this  being 
the  case,  we  may  conclude  from  this,  as  from  other 
passages  of  scripture,  that  baptism  being  made  neces- 
sary to  salvation  in  scripture  is  a  profession  of  faith 
in  Christ  made  by  a  penitent  believer. 

From  all  these  considerations,  we  may  gather  that 
our  Lord,  in  this  commission,  intended  his  ministers 
first  to  convert  men  by  preaching  to  them  the  Gos- 
pel, then  to  baptize  them  as  disciples,  and  finally  to 
urge  them,  when  baptized,  to  be  entirely  obedient 
to  him  as  their  Lord.  The  structure  of  this  sentence, 
when  compared  with  sentences  of  similar  structure 
in  the  New  Testament,  establishes  this  meaning  :  it 
is  established  by  the  meaning  of  the  word  "  disciple," 
which  is  equivalent  to  believer  ;  by  the  meaning  of 
immersion,  which,  as  a  spontaneous  religious  act, 
involves  a  profession  to  renounce  sin  and  lead  a  new 
life  ;  by  the  prescribed  baptismal  form  of  immersion 


MEANING    OF    THE    COMMISSION.  47 

unto  the  name  of  God,  which  signifies  consecration 
to  him  ;  by  the  place  which  the  third  command  to 
enforce  obedience  to  Christ's  laws  must  have  in  the 
fulfillment  of  the  commission  ;  by  the  order  of  the 
terms  in  the  parallel  passage  in  Mark  ;  and  by  the 
connection  which  that  passage  reveals  between  bap- 
tism and  salvation.  On  all  these  accounts  we  may 
conclude  that  baptism,  as  a  profession  of  repentance, 
faith,  and  consecration  to  the  Triune  God,  must  be 
preceded  by  faith  and  by  discipleship  to  Christ. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BAPTISM    TO    BE    ADMINISTERED    TO    NONE    BUT    BE- 
LIEVERS. 

Having  already  proved  that  Christ  has  command- 
ed his  ministers  to  baptize  believers,  I  proceed  to 
show  that  no  one  v^^ho  does  not  make  a  consistent 
profession  of  faith  ought  to  be  baptized. 

I.  Meaning  op  the  Commission. 

I .  This  follows  directly  from  the  commission  giv- 
en by  Christ  to  the  disciples  ;  for  since  he  said  to 
them,  "  Go  and  disciple  all  nations,  baptizing  them," 
thus  directing  them  to  make  men  disciples  and  then 
to  baptize  them,  whence  can  Christian  ministers  de- 
rive authority  to  reverse  that  order  ?  Why  did  Christ 
say  that  they  were  to  baptize  believers  if  faith  was 
not  necessary  to  baptism  ?  If  all  men  indiscrimin- 
ately might  be  baptized,  then  with  respect  to  bap- 
tism faith  was  immaterial ;  and  if  faith  is  immaterial 
to  baptism,  why  was  it  specified  in  the  commission  ? 
When  Oliver  Cromw^ell,  who  saw  that  the  forces  of 
the  Parliament  were  beaten  by  the  troops  of  Charles 
the  First,  because  there  were  gentlemen  in  the  ranks 
of  the  royal  army,  and  none  but  low  men  of  worth- 
less character  in  the  other,  sent  out  his  recruiting 
sergeants  to  enlist  godly  and  sober  young  men  into 
his  regiment,  would  they  have  been  entitled  to  enlist 


MEANING    or    Tlii:    COMMISSION.  49 

drunkards  and  profligates  because  he  had  not  ex- 
pressly excluded  them  ?  His  specification  of  the 
godly  and  the  sober  excluded  all  the  rest.  And 
when  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  commanded  his 
ministers  to  enlist  believers  under  his  banners  by 
baptism,  he  has  excluded  all  the  rest.  When  God 
enjoined  upon  Abraham  and  on  his  children  and 
servants  circumcision  as  the  token  of  his  covenant 
with  that  family,  the  mention  of  these  classes  ex- 
cluded all  others.  And  unless  they  had  received 
express  permission  to  admit  proselytes  into  the  priv- 
ileges of  the  national  covenant,  they  would  have 
had  no  right  to  admit  them.  So,  when  Christ  has 
declared  that  believers  shall  be  admitted  to  the  token 
of  the  covenant  of  grace,  no  one  else  can  be  admit- 
ted to  that  token  without  express  permission  ?  To 
have  circumcised  a  heathen  stranger  without  com- 
mand from  God  would  have  been  presumptuous  in 
the  Israelites,  and  to  baptize  an  unbeliever  without 
command  from  Christ  must  be  presumptuous  in  a 
Christian  minister  now.  From  our  Lord's  naming 
believers  as  the  proper  subjects  for  baptism,  it  is 
plain  that  none  others  must  be  baptized  unless  Chris- 
tian ministers  have  his  authority,  expressed  or  im- 
plied, to  baptize  them.  And  as  he  has  never  given 
such  permission  it  follows  that  none  but  those  who 
make  a  consistent  profession  of  faith  ought  to  be 
baptized. 

Our  Lord  has  here  forbidden  any  persons  to  apply 
for  baptism  who  are  not  true  believers,  and  he  has 
forbidden  his  ministers  to  baptize  any  who  do  not 
seem  to  be  true  believers.  But  as  no  man  can  read 
another's  heart,  reason  agrees  with  apostolic  prece- 
D 


50  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

dents  to  declare  that  no  minister  should  refuse  bap- 
tism to  a  candidate  of  sound  creed  and  of  Christian 
habits  because  he  does  not  feel  sure  of  his  conver- 
sion ;  otherwise  baptism  might  be  refused  to  many 
true  believers.  Pveal  faith,  therefore,  warrants  the 
candidate  to  apply  for  baptism,  and  a  credible  pro- 
fession of  faith  warrants  the  minister  to  receive  him. 

2.  It  appears,  further,  that  no  one  but  a  believer 
should  be  baptized  from  the  nature  of  the  profession 
made  in  baptism. 

Baptism  being,  as  we  have  proved,  a  profession  of 
repentance  and  of  a  new  life,  in  which  the  baptized 
person  is  consecrated  to  God  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost,  no  one  but  a  believer  can  make 
this  profession  without  falsehood. 

How  can  one  who  does  not  mean  to  renounce  all 
sin  be  immersed,  to  signify  his  death  unto  sin,  with- 
out hypocrisy  ?  How  can  one  whose  heart  is  un- 
changed profess,  by  rising  from  the  water,  that  he 
means  to  live  a  new  life  of  faith,  of  gratitude,  of  obe- 
dience, of  spirituality,  when  he  has  no  such  inten- 
tion ?  How  can  one  who  is  still  a  votary  of  pleas- 
ure, a  servant  of  the  world,  a  slave  of  Satan,  profess, 
without  falsehood,  to  consecrate  himself  to  God  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  being  im- 
mersed in  water  unto  the  name  of  God  ?  And  since 
there  is  manifest  falsehood  in  the  profession  made  in 
baptism  by  every  unregenerate  person,  how  can  Chris- 
tian ministers  have  authority  from  Christ  to  sanction 
such  falsehood  by  administering  baptism  to  any  per- 
sons who  are  manifestly  unconverted  ?  No  one, 
therefore,  who  does  not  make  a  consistent  profession 
of  faith  can  be  admitted  to  baptism  without  manifest 


JEWISH    BAPTISM.  51 

disregard  of  the  nature  of  the  ordinance,  or  without 
sanctioning  sin  in  the  person  baptized. 

II.   Jewish  Baptism. 

As  the  terms  in  which  the  disciples  were  com- 
missioned to  baptize,  and  the  meaning  of  the  pre- 
scribed symbol,  prove  that  our  Lord  meant  believ- 
ers to  be  baptized,  and  as  he  never  authorized  the 
baptism  of  any  others,  we  must  conclude  that  he  did 
not  intend  any  others  to  be  baptized.  Other  con- 
siderations confirm  this  conclusion.  Among  these  I 
may  mention  the  consideration  of  the  facts  of  Jew- 
ish baptism.  The  baptism  instituted  by  our  Lord 
being,  like  Jewish  baptism,  an  immersion  in  water 
for  religious  purposes,  and  the  initiatory  rite  of  his 
religion,  we  may  expect  to  find  an  analogy  between 
them.  "  We  do  not  assume,"  says  Mr.  Godwin, 
"that  Christian  baptism  was  in  all  respects  the  same 
as  Jewish  baptism ;  but  as  it  possessed  the  same 
form  and  bore  the  same  appellation,  at  least  a  pre- 
sumption exists  that  there  is  a  general  accordance. 
Christianity  has  an  external  purification  with  water, 
which  is  performed  as  a  religious  service,  and  which 
is  named  a  baptism  :  Judaism  had  external  purifi- 
cations with  water,  which  were  performed  as  relig- 
ious services,  and  which  were  named  baptisms  ;  and 
one  of  them  was  a  rite  of  initiation  into  Judaism. 
In  investigating  the  nature  and  usage  of  Christian 
baptism,  we  ought  to  look  to  the  known  nature  and 
usage  of  similar  rites  ;  and  we  may  justly  conclude 
that  agreement  exists  where  difierence  is  not  proved." 
—  Godivin,  203,  204.  At  the  same  time,  since  the 
first  covenant  was  faulty  (Heb.,  viii.,  7,  8) ;  since 


52  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

its  ordinances  were  weak  and  beggarly  elements  of 
religion  (Gal.,  iv.,  9),  carnal  ordinances  (Heb.,  ix., 
10),  a  system  of  types  (Heb.,  ix.,  9),  having  a  shad- 
ow only  of  good  things  to  come  (Heb.,  x.,  1),  in 
which  the  priest  "  served  unto  the  example  and 
shadow  of  heavenly  things"  (Heb.,  viii.,  5),  we  may 
expect  to  find  in  its  ordinances  just  such  a  difference 
as  existed  between  a  religion  which,  containing  spir- 
itual truth,  was  eminently  ceremonial,  and  a  relig- 
ion which,  containing  some  positive  ordinances,  was 
eminently  spiritual.  This  analogy  and  this  differ- 
ence between  Jewish  and  Christian  baptism  evident- 
ly exist.  In  Numbers,  xix.,  17—19,  we  read,  "  For 
an  unclean  person  they  shall  take  of  the  ashes  of  the 
burnt  heifer  of  purification  for  sin,  and  running  wa- 
ter shall  be  put  thereto  in  a  vessel.  And  the  clean 
person  shall  sprinkle  upon  the  unclean  on  the  third 
day  and  on  the  seventh  day  ;  and  on  the  seventh 
day  he  shall  purify  himself  and  wash  his  clothes, 
and  bathe  himself  in  ivater,  and  shall  be  clean  at 
even."  Hence,  as  the  heathen  were  unclean,  they 
were  obliged,  before  they  could  be  admitted  into  as- 
sociation with  the  Jews,  to  be  bathed  or  baptized  ; 
and  this  baptism  was  required  of  every  proselyte. 
"  When  they  received  a  proselyte  to  their  religion, 
they  both  circumcised  and  baptized  him  ;  affirming 
that  this  baptism  was  a  kind  of  regeneration,  where- 
by he  was  made  a  new  man.  .  .  .  That  the  Jews 
really  did  attach  the  idea  of  regeneration  to  baptism 
in  the  case  of  converts  is  well  known  from  Mai- 
monides  and  other  rabbins." — Calmet,  "Baptism." 
"  Those  that  were  thus  initiated  did  put  off  all  their 
former  relations,  not  only  their  former  worships  and 


JEWISH    BAPTISM.  53 

manners,  but  tlieir  relations  of  kindred,  and  came 
forth  as  if  they  had  been  new  born  of  a  new  moth- 
er, as  the  Talmud  often  expresses  it." — Hamnnond 
on  Matt,,  iii.,  1.  Let  us  observe  that  this  baptism 
was  not  the  sign  of  a  purification  to  be  effected  aft- 
erward, but  w^as  itself  a  ceremonial  purification. 
When  the  unclean  person  was  bathed,  he  was  cere- 
monially clean,  Numb.,  xix.,  19.  "A  person  ap- 
plying to  the  priest  for  purification  professed  by  word 
or  deed  that  he  was  then  free  from  the  disease  which 
had  occasioned  his  impurity.  He  was  carefully  ex- 
amined by  the  priest  that  it  might  be  known  that 
his  profession  was  true.  His  baptism  was  a  sign 
of  restored  health  ;  and,  in  general,  baptism  was  a 
sign  that  there  had  been  ceremonial  impurity,  and 
that  the  occasion  of  this  impurity  was  removed." — 
Godivin,  207.  So,  when  the  proselyte  was  bap- 
tized, he  was  legally  clean.  "  Those  who  were 
proselytes  to  Judaism,  being  unclean,  were  purified 
with  water." — Godivin,  207.  Once  immersed, 
they  might,  as  clean  persons,  participate  in  Jewish 
ordinances.  For  this  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Mishna : 
"As  to  a  proselyte  who  becomes  a  proselyte  on  the 
evening  of  the  Passover,  the  followers  of  Shammai 
say,  Let  him  be  baptized,  and  let  him  eat  the  pass- 
over  in  the  evening." — Wilso?i,  190,  Thus  we  see 
just  so  much  analogy  and  so  much  difference  be- 
tween the  Jewish  and  Christian  baptism  as  the  na- 
ture of  the  two  religions  indicated.  Jewish  baptism 
was  the  sign  of  a  ceremonial  cleansing,  Christian 
baptism  the  sign  of  a  spiritual  cleansing  ;  the  one 
signified  a  change  of  external  condition,  the  other  a 
change  of  spiritual  condition  ;  the  one  a  renunciation 


54  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

of  heathenism,  the  other  a  renunciation  of  sin  ;  the 
one  a  new  Jewish  hfe,  the  other  a  new  spiritual  hfe ; 
the  one  a  total  change  of  habits,  the  other  a  total 
change  of  heart  ;  the  one  admitted  to  the  society  of 
Jews,  the  other  to  the  society  of  saints  :  both  re- 
garded what  was  done  already,  as  well  as  what  was 
to  be  done  afterward  ;  both  were  the  profession  of 
a  past  change,  and  of  a  present  resolution  to  lead 
another  life.  The  proselyte  was  not  baptized  that 
he  might  afterward  be  taught  how  to  become  a  Jew, 
but  because  he  now  became  one  ;  and  so  the  Chris- 
tian proselyte  is  not  baptized  that  he  may  be  taught 
how  to  become  a  Christian,  but  because  he  is  al- 
ready become  one.  As  repentance  for  heathenism, 
and  faith  in  the  authority  of  Moses,  were  to  precede 
Jewish  baptism,  so  repentance  for  sin  and  faith  in 
the  Redeemer  were  to  precede  Christian  baptism. 
As  the  baptized  Jewish  proselyte  became,  by  Jew- 
ish baptism,  the  avowed  disciple  of  Moses,  entitled 
to  all  Mosaic  ordinances,  so  the  baptized  Christian 
proselyte  becomes,  by  Christian  baptism,  the  avow- 
ed disciple  of  Christ,  entitled  to  all  Christian  ordi- 
nances. The  Jewish  baptism  was  intended  for  none 
but  believers  in  Moses,  the  Christian  baptism  is  in- 
tended for  none  but  believers  in  Christ.  As  a 
change  of  opinions  and  habits  preceded  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  society  of  Jews,  so  a  change  of  heart 
and  life  ought  to  precede  an  introduction  to  the 
communion  of  saints. 

III.  Baptism  of  John. 

We  may,  further,  be  led  to  conclude  that  none 
but  believers  should  receive  baptism  by  considering 


BAPTISM    OF    JOH\.  55 

the  administration  of  baptism  by  John  the  Baptist. 
John  came  as  the  forerunner  of  Jesus,  to  bear  wit- 
ness to  him,  and  to  lead  men  to  repentance  as  a  prep- 
aration for  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  grace  through 
faith.  The  Almighty,  by  Isaiah  and  by  Malachi, 
thus  predicted  his  ministry :  "  The  voice  of  him  that 
crieth  in  the  wilderness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the 
Lord,  make  straight  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our 
God,"  Isaiah,  xl.,  3.  "  Behold,  1  will  send  you  Eli- 
jah the  prophet  before  the  coming  of  the  great  and 
dreadful  day  of  the  Lord  ;  and  he  shall  turn  the  heart 
of  the  fathers  to  the  children,  and  the  heart  of  the  chil- 
dren to  their  fathers,  lest  I  come  and  smite  the  earth 
with  a  curse,"  Mai.,  iv.,  5,  6.  According,  then,  to 
the  Old  Testament,  John  was  to  be  a  great  reformer, 
and  to  preach  with  great  success.  The  same  was 
predicted  by  the  angel  who  appeared  to  his  father 
Zacharias  in  the  temple  :  "  Many  of  the  children  of 
Israel  shall  he  turn  to  the  Lord  their  God  ;  and  he 
shall  go  before  him  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Ehas, 
to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the  children,  and 
the  disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of  the  just ;  to  make 
ready  a  people  prepared  for  the  Lord,"  Luke,  i.,  16, 
1 7.  And  his  father  himself  predicted,  "  Thou,  child, 
shalt  be  called  the  prophet  of  the  Highest ;  for  thou 
shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord  to  prepare  his 
ways  ;  to  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  his  people 
by  the  remission  of  their  sins,"  Luke,  i.,  76,  77. 

At  length  John  began  his  ministry,  and  called  men 
to  repent,  because  "the  kingdom  of  God  was  at  hand," 
Matt.,  iii.,  2.  Thus  he  required  two  things  :  first, 
a  thorough  change  of  mind  and  life,  expressed  by  the 
word  "  repentance  ;"   and  faith  in  the  Redeemer  to 


56  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS- 

come,  to  whom,  indeed,  he  repeatedly  bore  witness, 
John,  i.,  6—8,  23—36.  A  disciple  of  John,  there- 
fore, was  one  who  repented  of  his  sins,  and  believed 
that  the  promised  Christ  was  about  to  appear.  The 
prophets  predicted  that  he  was  to  make  many  such. 
But  what  evidence  have  we  of  the  fulfillment  of  their 
predictions,  except  that  numbers  were  baptized  by 
him  ?  "  Then  went  out  to  him  Jerusalem  and  all 
Judea,  and  all  the  region  round  about  Jordan,  and 
were  baptized  of  him  in  Jordan."  I  know  no  other 
proof  that  the  ministry  of  John  corresponded  to  the 
predictions  concerning  him  ;  and  the  value  of  this 
proof  depends  upon  the  conditions  of  his  baptism.  If 
he  baptized  all  applicants  indiscriminately,  then  there 
is  no  proof  whatever  that  he  "  made  ready  a  people 
prepared  for  the  Lord,"  because  superstitious  or  sor- 
did motives  may  have  induced  numbers  to  apply  for 
baptism.  But  if  he  baptized  those  only  who  solemn- 
ly professed  to  repent  and  to  believe  in  the  Christ 
shortly  to  come,  then  the  multitudes  who  were  bap- 
tized by  him  show  that  he  signally  fulfilled  the  proph- 
ecies concerning  him.  It  is,  therefore,  probable — 
since  he  certainly  fulfilled  those  prophecies,  and  the 
sacred  narratives  record  no  other  proof  of  the  fulfill- 
ment— that  these  numerous  baptisms  furnish  that 
proof,  and  that  those  Avho  were  baptized  by  John  made 
a  solemn  profession  of  their  repentance  and  faith. 

It  is  improbable  that  John  would  baptize  on  lower 
terms,  because  he  declared  that  the  approach  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  called  for  repentance  (Matt.,  iii., 
2) ;  and  as  he  was  the  herald  of  Christ,  appointed  to 
lead  men  to  a  more  spiritual  dispensation  than  that 
of  Moses,  he  would  not  be  satisfied  with  lower  quali- 


BAPTISM    OP    JOHN.  57 

lications  for  baptism  than  those  which  were  demand- 
ed by  the  Jewish  priests.  If  a  heathen  wished  for 
Jewish  baptism,  he  must  renounce  his  idols,  profess 
his  beUef  in  the  divine  authority  of  Moses,  and  prom- 
ise obedience  to  the  Mosaic  laws  :  would  John,  then, 
baptize  a  Jew  unless  he  renounced  his  sins,  and  pro- 
fessed behef  in  the  approaching  advent  of  Christ,  with 
his  intention  to  keep  the  commands  of  God  ?  What 
he  had  ever  seen  demanded  in  the  initiatory  rite  of 
the  more  carnal  religion,  he  would  not  dispense  with 
in  the  initiatory  rite  which  was  to  enroll  men  under 
his  ministry  as  expectants  of  the  Messiah. 

The  narrative  shows  that  he  did  enforce  these  con- 
ditions of  baptism.  In  Mark,  i.,  4,  we  read,  "John 
did  baptize  in  the  wilderness,  and  preach  the  baptism 
of  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins,"  Luke,  iii.,  2  ; 
Acts,  xiii.,  24.  If  We  suppose,  with  the  advocates  of 
indiscriminate  baptism,  that  this  expression  means  a 
baptism  which  demanded  repentance — and  less  than 
this  assuredly  the  words  could  not  mean — then  his 
baptism  must  have  involved  a  profession  of  repent- 
ance on  the  part  of  the  baptized.  For  to  apply  for 
a  baptism  which  pledged  them  to  repent,  while  they 
were  avowedly  impenitent,  would  be  mockery.  Im- 
agine a  person  coming  to  John  to  be  baptized,  declar- 
ing that  he  did  not  repent  of  his  sins  and  had  not  turn- 
ed to  God,  but  that  he  wished  to  be  instructed,  and 
allowed  the  necessity  of  repentance,  of  what  use  would 
Buch  baptism  be  ?  He  could  be  instructed  just  as 
well  before  baptism,  and  since  baptism  signified  the 
necessity  of  a  total  renunciation  of  sin,  to  receive  it 
without  being  grieved  for  sin,  or  intending  to  renounce 
it,  was  to  violate  the  baptismal  instruction  while  re- 


58  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

ceiving  it.  The  repentance,  moreover,  to  v^^hich  John 
called  them  was  connected  with  the  expectation  of 
Christ,  "Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 
hand."  "  John  baptized  with  the  baptism  of  repent- 
ance, saying  unto  the  people  that  they  should  believe 
on  him  which  should  come  after  him,  that  is,  on  Christ 
Jesus,"  Acts,  xix.,  4.  If,  therefore,  any  one  asked 
for  baptism  while  disbelieving  the  near  advent  of  the 
Redeemer,  he  was  rejecting  the  doctrine  of  John,  and 
John  would  certainly  not  baptize  as  one  of  his  disci- 
ples any  one  who  rejected  his  doctrine.  The  char- 
acter, therefore,  of  John's  baptism  renders  it  probable 
that  he  administered  it  to  none  but  those  who  pro- 
fessed to  be  penitent  believers  in  the  Savior  to  come. 
And  the  evangelists  declare  that  this  was  the  pro- 
fession of  those  who  came  to  be  baptized  by  him. 
Matthew  relates,  that  they  "  were  baptized  of  him 
in  Jordan,  l^oiioXoyoviiEVOi,  confessing  their  sins."*' 
Those  who  were  baptized  by  him  did  not  own  their 
sins  reluctantly,  but  earnestly ;  not  slightly,  but 
fully,  as  the  word,  e^o^ioXoyoviievoi,  here  used  means. 
Such  confessions  make  the  penitent  accept  the  Gos- 
pel fully.  "  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs 
is  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  Matt.,  v.,  3.  Such  con- 
fessions were  like  those  of  the  publican  who  was  de- 
clared by  Jesus  to  receive  pardon,  Luke,  xviii.,  13. 
David  knew  their  value  M'hen  he  wrote,  "  I  said,  I 
will  confess  my  transgressions  unto  the  Lord  ;  and 
thou  forgavest  the  iniquity  of  my  sin,"  Ps.  xxxii.,  5. 
Paul  recognized  it  when  he  wrote,  "  Godly  sorrow 

*  "  'E^ofzoTioyovfisvoc  tuc  uiiapriag  avTcJv,  fully  confessing 
their  sins ;  k^oiioloyeo[j,aL,  to  confess  in  full." — Liddell.  "  Libere 
diserteque — freely  and  copiously." — Bengel. 


BAPTISM    OF    JOHN.  59 

worketh  repentance  to  salvation,"  2  Cor.,  vii.,  10. 
And  the  promise  to  them  is  ample  and  explicit : 
"  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  for- 
give us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unright- 
eousness," 1  John,  i.,  9.  Such  confessions  show  that 
many  of  those  baptized  by  John  were  real  penitents. 

The  same  truth  is  intimated  by  the  following  ex- 
pression used  by  John  in  his  ministry,  "  I  indeed 
baptize  you  elg  nerdvoiav,  unto  repentance,"  Matt., 
iii.,  11  ;  for  by  these  words  he  declared  that  repent- 
ance must  accompany  his  baptism,  and  that  not  at 
any  distant  time,  but  then.  Thus  the  expression 
used  by  Peter  to  the  Jewish  multitude,  "  Repent, 
and  be  baptized  elg  dcpsacv  duaprtGJv,  unto  the  re- 
mission of  sins,"  signified  the  necessary  and  imme- 
diate effect  of  baptism.  Acts,  ii.,  38.  Similarly,  the 
expression  used  by  our  Lord  at  the  institution  of  the 
Supper,  "  This  do,  elg  rrjv  k^ifiv  avdjxvriaLV,  unto  a 
recollection  of  me,"  or  "for  a  remembrance  of  me" 
(Luke,  xxii.,  19),  means  a  recollection  of  him  at  the 
same  time.  The  words,  therefore,  used  by  John 
signify  that  those  who  come  to  his  baptism  must  re- 
pent at  the  same  time.  Now  as  the  water  could 
not  effect  repentance,  and  yet  the  repentance  must 
be  felt  then,  it  is  plain  that  the  applicants  must  have 
repented  before,  and  that,  coming  to  baptism  with  a 
penitent  heart,  they  there  confirmed  their  repentance. 
They  were  baptized  unto  repentance,  ^.  e.,  unto  a 
profession  of  repentance,  as  Christians  are  baptized 
unto  the  name  of  God,  or  unto  a  profession  of  devo- 
tedness  to  him. 

This  view  is  further  confirmed  by  the  following 
expression  of  John  :  "  The  Pharisees  had  heard  that 


60  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

Jesus  made  and  baptized  more  disciples  than  John,'* 
John,  iv.,  1.  According  to  these  words,  to  make 
disciples  is  a  different  thing  from  baptizing  them, 
and  the  one  is  prior  to  the  other.  Jesus  made  dis- 
ciples, and  then,  by  the  hands  of  his  disciples,  bap- 
tized them.  But  the  same  thing  is  also  said  of  John, 
for  the  words  mean,  "  John  made  disciples  and  bap- 
tized them,  but  Jesus  made  and  baptized  more." 
All,  therefore,  who  received  baptism  from  John  were 
first  his  disciples.  Now  a  disciple  was  one  who  at 
least  accepted  his  chief  doctrines,  the  need  of  repent- 
ance and  the  approach  of  the  Redeemer.  No  one 
was,  therefore,  a  disciple  who  did  not  acknowledge 
his  need  of  fierdvoca,  a  change  of  mind,  and  look  for 
the  Redeemer,  and  no  others  were  baptized.  Moved 
by  fashion  or  interest,  probably  many  of  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees  applied  for  baptism ;  but  as  he  knew 
the  character  of  their  class,  if  not  their  individual 
character,  instead  of  welcoming  them  to  his  baptism, 
he  exclaimed,  "  O  generation  of  vipers,  who  hath 
warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  ?  Bring 
forth,  therefore,  fruits  meet  for  repentance,"  Matt., 
iii.,  7,8.  "  The  Sadducees  were  as  proud  of  their 
superior  discernment  as  the  Pharisees  of  their  supe- 
rior sanctity,  and  with  as  little  reason.  But  neither 
of  them  were  prepared,  by  repentance  and  humiha- 
tion  before  God,  to  welcome  the  mercy  and  spiritual 
blessings  of  the  Messiah.  Instead,  therefore,  of  sanc- 
tioning their  character  or  of  courting  their  favor, 
John  plainly,  and  even  roughly,  addressed  them  as 
a  generation  of  vipers,  a  race  of  subtle,  designing 
men,  of  poisonous  principles  and  practice,  dangerous 
to  all  around  them,  the  genuine  children  of  the  old 


BAPTISM    OF  JOHN.  61 

serpent.  If,  however,  they  truly  repented,  they  might 
be  admitted  to  his  baptism." — Scott;  Matt.,  iii., 
7-10. 

Here  let  me  add  the  testimony  of  Josephus  to  the 
fact  that  John  required  from  those  who  came  to  him 
for  baptism  a  previous  profession  of  repentance  and 
faith,  premising  that  Josephus  lived  so  near  to  the 
time  "of  John  that  he  must  have  learned  from  many 
of  his  disciples  the  character  and  circumstances  of 
his  baptism.  "  Herod  slew  him,  who  was  a  good 
man,  and  commanded  the  Jews  to  exercise  virtue, 
both  as  to  righteousness  toward  one  another  and  pi- 
ety toward  God,  and  so  come  to  baptism.  For  that 
the  washing  would  be  acceptable  to  him,  if  they 
made  use  of  it,  not  in  order  to  the  putting  away  of 
so7ne  sins,  but  for  the  purification  of  the  body,  sup- 
posing still  tJiat  the  soul  was  tJioroughly  pitrijied 
beforehand  by  righteousness.''  —  Ant.,  xviii.,  5, 
Whistoji's  Translation . 

These  and  similar  considerations  have  brought 
the  best  expositors  of  Scripture  to  much  agreement 
on  this  matter. 

Henry  says,  *'  Those  who  received  his  doctrine 
and  submitted  to  his  discipline  were  baptized  of  him 
in  Jordan,  thereby  professing  their  repentance  and 
their  belief  that  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah  was  at 
hand.  They  testified  their  repentance  by  confessing 
their  sins." 

•'  Baptism  in  the  adult,"  says  Doddridge  on  Acts, 
xxii.,  16,  "excepting  in  the  very  peculiar  instance 
of  our  Lord,  was  a  token  of  confession  and  humilia- 
tion for  sin,  on  which  account  it  is  called  the  bap- 
tism of  repentance  (Matt.,  iii.,  11  ;    Mark,  i.,  4, 


63  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT   BELIEVERS. 

&c.),  and  of  a  desire  to  be  cleansed  from  it,  and  be- 
ing administered  to  such  professed  penitents  by  di- 
vine appointment,  as  a  token  of  favorable  regard  to 
them,  it  was  a  seal  of  pardon." 

"It  is  most  certain  that  a  profession  of  faith  and 
repentance  was  ordinarily  required  before  the  bap- 
tism of  adult  persons." — Poole  on  Matt.,  iii.,  6. 

*<  They  acknowledged  in  words  their  sinfulness 
and  guilt,  professed  repentance  for  and  a  detestation 
of  all  their  sins,  and  submitted  to  be  baptized  in 
token  of  their  being  convinced  of  their  need  of  par- 
don and  purification." — Benson. 

"  Adult  Jews,  professing  repentance  and  a  dispo- 
sition to  become  Messiah's  subjects,  were  the  only 
persons  whom  John  admitted  to  baptism,  .  .  .  John 
baptized  the  people  with  water,  calling  them  to  re- 
pentance, and  making  baptism  their  outward  pro- 
fession of  it,  and  the  avowed  beginning  of  a  new 
life."_^co«. 

And  Mr.  Godwin  admits  that  the  baptism  of  John 
indicated  ''a  professed  willingness  to  commence"  "a 
new  course  of  life,"  "embodying  in  a  public  act  the 
resolution  to  pursue  purity,"  and  was  "  the  avowal 
of  a  present  resolution  to  live  in  the  manner  re- 
quired," made  by  "professed  penitents." — Godwin, 
235,  236. 

To  this  view  there  are  some  objections,  which 
shall  here  be  noticed  : 

1 .  *  It  is  impossible  that  John  should  examine  such 
numbers  with  a  view  to  determine  their  conversion.' 

Ans.  (1.)  They  were  either  baptized  as  penitent 
believers  who  had  received  his  doctrine,  or  as  cate- 
chumens desiring  to  be  taught  by  him.      It  woiJd 


BAPTISM    OF    JOHN.  63 

require  as  much  time  to  teach  them  the  doctrines 
and  duties  of  rehgion  after  baptism  as  before  it. 
(2.)  It  is  not  asserted  that  he  ascertained  their  con- 
version, but  that  he  required  a  profession  of  repent- 
ance and  faith  in  the  approaching  advent  of  Christ, 
which  would  require  very  little  time. 

2.  'John  baptized  all  applicants,  because  he  said 
to  them  all,  I  baptize  you  with  water,  Luke,  iii.,  16.' 

Ans.  As  John  said  to  all  the  people  respecting 
Christ,  "  He  shall  baptize  you  in  the  Holy  Ghost," 
when  it  is  certain  that  Christ  baptized  in  the  Holy 
Spirit  none  but  believers,  so  when  he  said  to  them 
at  the  same  time,  "  I  baptize  you  in  water,"  he 
meant  that  he  also  baptized  penitent  believers,  Luke, 
iii.,  16. 

3.  <  Since  "  Jerusalem  and  all  Judea"  were  bap- 
tized by  John  (Matt.,  iii.,  5,  6),  it  is  not  conceivable 
that  all  the  baptized  were  penitent  believers.' 

Ans.  (1.)  It  is  no  more  difficult  to  imagine  that 
all  the  baptized  repented,  than  that  they  all  "  fully 
confessed"  their  sins ;  and  yet  we  know  that  they 
thus  confessed  them,  Matt.,  iii.,  6.  (2.)  It  is  not 
asserted  that  they  were  all  penitent  believers,  but 
that  they  all  made  a  solemn  profession  of  repentance 
and  faith  ;  which  is  proved  by  the  statement  that 
they  fully  confessed  their  sins  (Matt.,  iii.,  6),  and  that 
they  were  disciples,  John,  iv.,  1. 

4.  *  If  baptism  signified  a  profession  of  repentance, 
how  could  Jesus  Christ  be  baptized  ?" 

Ans.  If  the  eating  of  the  Passover  signified  faith 
in  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  Christ,  how  could  Jesus 
eat  the  Passover  ?  His  case  was  an  exception  :  and 
he  was  baptized  "  to  fulfill  all  righteousness,"  i.  e., 


64  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

to  honor  that  divine  ordinance  of  baptism,  and  bear 
witness  to  John's  prophetic  commission,.  Matt.,iii.,  15. 

5.  'We  read  (Luke,  vii.,  29),  the  Pharisees  and 
laviyers  rejected  the  counsel  of  God  against  them- 
sel/es,  being-  not  baptized  of  John.  If  John  refused 
to  baptize  them,  they  could  not  be  said  to  reject  his 
baptism.' 

A7ts.  They  rejected  his  baptism  by  rejecting  its 
conditions.  They  were  called  to  repent  and  be  bap- 
tized ;  and  refusing  to  repent,  they  rejected  both  re- 
pentance and  baptism,  saying  of  John,  "  He  hath  a 
devil,"  Luke,  vii.,  32. 

On  the  whole,  then,  we  see  that  there  was  a  sim- 
ilarity in  John's  baptism  to  the  baptism  of  Jewish 
proselytes,  and  a  difference  between  them.  This 
baptism  was  designed  for  similar  ends,  but  it  was 
more  spiritual ;  it  required  a  similar  profession,  but 
one  more  complete.  The  priests  said  to  the  hea- 
then, ''Repent,  for  the  Jews  are  the  people  of  God  ;" 
John  said  to  the  Jews,  "  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand."  They  required  the  renuncia- 
tion of  idols,  he  the  renunciation  of  sin  ;  they  demand- 
ed faith  in  the  authority  of  Moses,  he  in  the  coming 
Savior  ;  they  demanded  obedience  to  the  Mosaic 
law,  he  to  the  whole  will  of  God.  The  disciple  of 
the  priests  renounced  idolatry,  conformed  to  the  Mo- 
saic ritual,  and  was  baptized  ;  the  disciple  of  John 
confessed  his  sins,  avowed  his  belief  that  the  Christ 
was  at  hand,  and  was  baptized.  All  this,  if  I  mis- 
take not,  Mr.  Godwin  virtually  admits  when  he  says 
that  John's  baptism  indicated  "  a  professed  willing- 
ness to  commence  a  new  course  of  life"  (p.  235)  ; 
and  the  "  avowal  of  a  present  resolution  to  live  in 


BAPTISM    OF    JOHN.  65 

the  manner  required"  (p.  235);  so  that  each  bap- 
tized person  was  a  "professed  penitent"  (p.  236). 
For  if  a  man  really  "  wills  to  commence  a  new  course 
of  life,"  he  does  commence  it ;  and  if  he  ''  resolves 
to  live  a  godly  life,"  he  does  live  it,  since  each  man 
lives  as  he  A\dlls  and  resolves  to  live.  And  if  each 
of  John's  disciples  professed  this  willingness  and 
avowed  this  resolution  at  the  time  of  baptism,  they 
were,  as  Mr.  Godwin  says,  "  professed  penitents  ;" 
they  made  a  profession  of  repentance  and  faith  ;  and 
none  were  baptized  by  John  but  those  who,  in  pro- 
fession at  least,  were  penitent  believers. 

IV.  First  Baptisms  by  the  Disciples  of  Christ. 

While  John  was  baptizing  Jesus  began  his  minis- 
try, and  his  earliest  disciples,  imitating  the  custom 
of  the  priests  and  the  practice  of  John,  began  to 
baptize  disciples  to  him.  The  following  is  the  only 
notice  of  this  fact  to  be  found  in  the  four  evangel- 
ists :  "  After  these-  things  came  Jesus  and  his  disci- 
ples into  the  land  of  Judea  ;  and  there  he  tarried 
with  them,  and  baptized.  .  .  .  And  they  (John's 
disciples)  came  unto  John,  and  said  unto  him,  Rab- 
bi, he  that  was  with  thee  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom 
thou  barest  witness,  behold,  the  same  baptizeth,  and 
all  men  come  to  him,"  John,  iii.,  22,  26.  "When, 
therefore,  the  Lord  knew  how  the  Pharisees  had 
heard  that  Jesus  made  and  baptized  more  disciples 
than  John  (though  Jesus  himself  baptized  not,  but 
his  disciples),  he  left  Judea,"  John,  iv.,  1—3.  The 
manner  in  which  this  practice  of  the  first  disciples  is 
here  mentioned,  without  any  recorded  command  of 
Christ,  before  the  disciples  had  been  called  by  him 
E 


66  BAPTISM   TO    NONE    BUT   BELIEVERS. 

to  any  ministry,  while  they  were  yet  very  partially 
instructed,  without  the  slightest  comment  by  the 
evangelist  upon  the  nature  of  the  transaction,  shows 
that  the  disciples  were  simply  imitating  the  practice 
of  John  and  the  custom  of  their  country.  It  fol- 
lows, that  their  baptism  resembled  in  its  general 
character  the  baptisms  by  the  priests  and  the  bap- 
tism by  John.  In  each  case  the  baptism  implied 
the  renunciation  of  evil  and  assenting  to  the  doctrine 
and  commandment  of  the  person  baptizing.  As 
those  who  were  baptized  by  the  priests  renounced 
idolatry,  and  those  who  were  baptized  by  John  re- 
nounced sin,  so  those  who  were  baptized  by  these 
disciples  renounced  sin.  As  those  baptized  by  the 
priests  conformed  to  the  Mosaic  ritual,  and  those 
baptized  by  John  professed  their  belief  of  his  doc- 
trine, so  those  baptized  by  the  disciples  professed 
their  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  Jesus.  And  this  is 
declared  by  the  brief  record  which  states  that  Jesus 
"made  and  baptized  disciples,"  John,  iv.,  1.  The 
disciples,  therefore,  baptized  those  only  who  were 
first  made  their  fellow-disciples. 

V.  Apostolic  Baptisms. 

We  will  now  examine  in  succession  the  cases  of 
baptism  subsequent  to  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord, 
which  furnish  the  most  explicit  and  unanswerable 
commentary  upon  the  commission  to  baptize,  which 
he  had  previously  given  to  his  disciples. 

Baptism  of  three  Thousand  Converts  at  the  Day  of 
Pentecost. — Acts,  ii. 

On  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  feast  of  first  fruits, 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS.  67 

upon  which  God  meant  to  gather  the  first  fruits  of 
a  universal  harvest  of  souls,  the  Holy  Spirit  who 
had  been  so  long  promised,  the  great  Teacher  who 
was  to  glorify  Clirist  and  to  change  the  condition  of 
the  world,  was  at  length  bestowed  on  the  Church  of 
Christ.  About  one  hundred  and  twenty  disciples, 
including  the  eleven  apostles,  and  many,  doubtless, 
of  the  seventy  evangelists,  had  continued  in  prayer  to 
God,  and  were  waiting  for  the  promised  Spirit,  when 
suddenly  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Bathed  in  a  divine  influence,  of  which  the  sound  of 
a  rushing  wind  which  filled  the  house,  and  cloven 
tongues  of  fire  resting  on  each,  were  the  external 
signs,  they  were  at  once  new  men.  Animated  with 
zeal  and  charity,  with  faith  and  hope,  with  desire  to 
glorify  Jesus  and  to  save  sinners,  with  resistless 
wisdom  and  with  inexhaustible  patience  they  began 
to  preach  Christ  to  the  multitudes  then  gathered 
within  the  walls  of  Jerusalem.  Thousands  of  devout 
persons,  who,  though  prejudiced,  perhaps,  and  super- 
stitious, still  were  earnest  in  religion,  dvdpsg  evXa- 
6elg,  were  met  to  keep  the  feast  of  first  fruits.^  In  ten 
or  twelve  different  languages  these  rude  and  simple 
Galileans  began  to  preach  to  the  multitudes  ;  groups 
from  the  difTerent  nations  gathered  round  the  speakers, 
who  were  pouring  forth  a  tide  of  holy  eloquence  in 
their  several  languages,  as  they  "  spoke  the  wonderful 
works  of  God,"  rd  ^eyaXela  rov  Qeov.  Their  minds 
and  hearts  were  full  of  Christ  and  of  salvation  by  his 
atoning  blood,  Luke,  xxiv.,  52,  53.      And  now  that 

*  Acts,  ii.,  5  :  '^kvdpEg  ehla^eXg.  ELiAa,5^f,  devout,  reverential, 
Luke,  ii.,  25  ;  Acts,  viii.,  2,  from  Ev?Mfiiojuai,  to  reverence  God» 
Heb.,  xi.,  7.     See  Liddell. 


68  BAPTIBM    TO    NONE   BUT    BELIEVERS. 

the  Holy  Spirit  gave  them  utterance  to  speak  of  the 
"  magnificent  things"  of  God,  they  must  have  ex- 
pounded fully  to  the  peopk  their  guilt  and  ruin  by 
nature  and  practice  with  the  atoning  death  and  glo- 
rious triumph  of  Christ  their  Savior  (11).  The 
miraculous  utterance  excited  in  the  crowd  the  ut- 
most astonishment,  and  their  attention  being  fully 
gained,  these  great  truths,  so  demonstrated,  still 
more  excited  their  wonder  (12).  Then  it  was  that 
Peter  addressed  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem,  and  the 
devout  strangers  surrounding  them  (14).  All  this, 
he  declared,  was  the  work  of  the  Spirit  promised  by 
God  through  the  Prophet  Joel  (14-18),  and  afibrded 
proof  that  the  great  predicted  day  of  the  Lord  was 
at  hand  (16-20).  Jesus  had  been  wickedly  mur- 
dered by  them  according  to  the  purpose  of  God,  but 
according  to  prophecy  had  been  raised  from  the 
dead,  of  which  they  were  all  witnesses  (22—32) ;  that 
crucified  Jesus  was  ascended  to  glory  ;  it  was  he  who 
had  given  them  the  Holy  Spirit,  of  which  they  then 
saw  the  undeniable  and  marvelous  proofs  (33);  and 
he  was  thus  proved  to  be  Lord  and  Christ,  who 
would  make  his  foes  his  footstool  (33—36).  Num- 
bers who  heard  this  were  pricked  in  the  heart,  Kare- 
vvy7]oav  rfi  Kapdia ;  all  that  they  saw  and  heard 
convinced  them  that  Jesus  was  the  true,  the  great, 
the  long-expected,  the  triumphant  Messiah.  He 
had  come  and  been  rejected,  hated,  crucified.  Some 
had,  probably,  actively  shared  in  his  murder  ;  some 
had  justified  the  priests:  all  must  have  been  talking 
and  hearing  of  his  recent  crucifixion ;  and  probably, 
following  their  hierarchy,  had  condemned  him  as  an 
impostor  and  blasphemer.      It  being  impossible  that 


APUSTULIC   BAPTISMri.  69 

this  event  was  unnoticed  by  them  (see  22,  23  ;  Matt., 
xxi.,  8,  10,  12),  and  almost  impossible  that  they  had 
not,  through  prejudice,  condemned  him,  we  may  in- 
fer that  they  felt  the  guilt  of  the  nation  and  their 
own.  If  he  was  the  Lord  of  all,  and  they  his  ene- 
mies, what  would  become  of  them  ?  Convinced, 
therefore,  of  their  sin  and  danger  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
working  with  the  v/ord  (Mark,  xvi.,  20  ;  Heb.,  ii., 
4  ;  1  Pet.,  i.,  12),  they  exclaimed,  "  Men  and  breth- 
ren, what  shall  we  do  ?"  (37).  To  whom  Peter  re- 
plied, "  Repent,  and  be  baptized,  every  one  of  you, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit"  (38). 
They  were  thus  called  to  renounce  their  sins,  especial- 
ly to  turn  from  their  sin  of  unbelief,  to  beheve  in  Je- 
sus as  Lord  and  Christ,  to  confess  their  faith  in  him 
by  being  baptized  in  his  name,  and  then  they  would 
have  a  free  and  full  forgiveness,  with  an  influence 
from  the  Holy  Spirit,  such  as  had  been  promised  by 
the  Prophet  Joel,  and  such  as  they,  the  apostles  and 
disciples  of  Jesus,  then  possessed.  Much  explana- 
tory conversation  followed  (40).  To  that  complete 
fisrdvoia,  conversion,  that  open  profession  of  faith, 
and  the  remission  of  sins  which  would  instantly  at- 
tend it,  they  were  called  then.  In  much  fervent  ex- 
hortation, with  a  fuUer  explanation  of  these  great 
truths,  with  more  detail  of  facts  and  doctrines,  the 
apostle  continued  to  address  them.  <'With  many 
other  words  did  he  testify  and  exhort,  saying,  Save 
yourselves  from  this  untoward  generation"  (40). 
Upon  this  dafjLEVOjg  dnode^dfxevoi,  they  "gladly"  and 
completely  "  received  his  word"  (41).  They  re- 
ceived his  declaration    that  Jesus  was  Lord   and 


70  BAPTISM  TO  NONE  BUT  BELIEVERS. 

Christ,  and  believed  ;  they  received  his  exhortation 
to  turn  to  God,  and  they  turned  and  repented  unto 
life  (Luke,  iii.,  3  ;  xxiv.,  47 ;  Acts,  v.,  31  ;  2  Cor., 
vii.,  10);  they  believed  in  the  promise  of  pardon,  and 
relied  on  the  promised  gift  of  the  Spirit  (30)  ;  they 
determined  to  seek  salvation  (40)  ;  for  all  this,  and 
more,  is  included  in  their  hearty  reception  of  his 
word,  and,  therefore,  though  deeply  convinced  of  sin 
(37),  they  rejoiced  in  this  great  salvation  (41).  The 
suddenness  of  their  conversion  is  not  surprising  :  they 
were  devout  persons,  acquainted  therefore  with  the 
Scriptures ;  the  facts  were  wonderful,  the  proofs  were 
complete  ;  already  the  nation  was  plunged  in  guilt 
by  having  rejected  and  crucified  him  ;  inestimable 
blessings,  of  which  those  miraculous  gifts  of  the  Spirit 
which  they  witnessed  were  pledges,  would  follow  their 
faith  ;  if  there  was  reason  to  becom.e  disciples  of  Je- 
sus at  all,  there  Avas  reason  to  turn  to  him  then  : 
that  was  a  day  appointed  for  glorifying  Christ,  and 
there  was  the  Omnipotent  Spirit  in  all  his  power. 
In  one  hour  Zaccheus  had  welcomed  Christ  ;  the 
dying  thief  had  been  converted  as  he  hung  upon  the 
cross ;  Paul,  the  blaspheming  persecutor,  became  at 
once  a  zealous  apostle  ;  so  these  were  "made  will- 
ing in  the  day  of  Christ's  power,"  Psalm  ex.,  3. 
Their  eager  looks  and  earnest  tones  ;  their  applica- 
tion for  baptism,  though  it  would  expose  them  to  per- 
secution,* and  their  thorough  acquiescence  in  all  that 
they  heard  preached  to  them,  indicated  to  the  apos- 
tles that  they  were  earnest  and  sincere  disciples  ;  and, 
professing  to  be  penitent  believers — for  how  else  could 

*  John,  ix.,  22  ;  Acts,  iv.,  3 ;  v.,  16,  33,  40;  vii.,  54,  59  ;  viii., 
1-3;  k.,  1-3;  1  Thess.,  ii.,  14;  Heb.,  x.,  32,  33,  &c.,  &c. 


APOSTOLIC   BAPTISMS.  71 

the  historian  know  that  they  '  •  gladly  received  his 
word?"  (41) — they  were  baptized.  The  result 
shows  that  the  apostles  judged  of  them  rightly  ;  for 
the  evangelist  records  that  they  were  added  that  day 
— they  were  added  to  the  believers  in  Jesus — added 
to  the  saved.  The  same  word  is  used,  and  the  same 
thing  is  recorded  as  in  the  47th  verse,  "  The  Lord  add- 
ed to  the  Church  that  day  three  thousand  aG)^o[ievovgy 
saved,"  and  of  this  they  forthwith  afforded  proofs  ; 
for  after  professing  their  faith  by  baptism,  they  con- 
tinued steadfast  in  maintaining  the  doctrine  of  the 
apostles,  sought  their  society,  received  with  them  the 
Lord's  Supper,  persevered  in  united  supplication. 
Many  parted  with  their  property  to  supply  the  wants 
of  the  poorer  brethren  ;  all  were  filled  Avith  joy  and 
with  gratitude  to  God  ;  and  converts  were  added 
daily  to  their  number  (42—47).  So  that  with  re- 
spect to  these  three  thousand  converts,  there  is  not 
only  evidence  that  they  made  a  profession  of  repent- 
ance and  faith,  but  that  with  respect  to  the  great 
majority  their  repentance  and  faith  were  real.  They 
were  that  day  converted  and  saved. 

It  may  be  noticed  that  the  apostles  baptized  the 
three  thousand  converts  the  same  day  on  which  they 
first  heard  the  Gospel,  when  most  of  them  were 
strangers  to  the  members  of  the  Church,  and  when 
it  was  impossible  to  test  their  sincerity.  Was  this 
consistent  with  the  idea  that  baptism  is  meant  only 
for  believers  ?  It  was  ;  for  this  was  the  day  of  the 
Lord's  power.  The  preachers  were  "  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost"  (4)  ;  the  convictions  of  the  multitude 
were  deep  and  pungent  (37)  ;  they  testified  much 
joy  (41).      They  expected  persecution,  shame,  loss, 


72  BAPTISM    TU     NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

and  death  itself,  as  the  consequence  of  their  faith, 
and  would  not  offer  themselves  to  baptism  without 
very  strong  belief  and  decided  courage.  Under  these 
circumstances,  the  apostles,  without  supernatural 
knowledge  of  other  men's  hearts,  could  discern  the 
tokens  of  that  sound  conversion  which  so  soon  issued 
in  remarkable  piety  and  zeal. 

It  has  been  said,  indeed,  that  they  had  no  reason 
to  expect  persecution,  since  they  had  "  favor  with 
all  the  people"  (47).  But  no  one  of  them  could 
expect  to  escape  persecution.  Jesus  having  been 
recently  crucified  as  a  blasphemer  through  the  in- 
fluence of  the  priests.  Scribes,  and  Pharisees,  these 
now  found  that  they  were  charged  by  his  disciples 
with  the  judicial  murder  of  the  Christ.  It  was  im- 
possible that  they  should  tolerate  a  doctrine  which 
was  incompatible  with  their  interests  and  scarcely 
consistent  with  their  safety.  They  had  persecuted 
Christ  to  death  as  an  impostor  and  blasphemer^  an 
enemy  of  their  religion  and  country.  Scarcely  any 
of  the  rulers  had  believed  on  him  ;  not  a  single 
priest,  not  a  solitary  Pharisee,  had  become  his  disci- 
ple ;  and  if  three  thousand  men  out  of  perhaps  five 
hundred  thousand,  assembled  from  all  countries,  now 
professed  their  faith  in  him,  how  could  they  expect 
any  thing  from  the  priests  and  from  the  people  but 
contempt  and  hatred  ?  Events  soon  indicated  the 
temper  of  the  most  powerful  men  in  the  natian. 
Within  a  few  months  the  apostles  were  arrested  for 
preaching  Christ  (Acts,  iv.,  1— 3) ;  shortly  after  they 
were  again  put  into  prison  (Acts,  v.,  17),  and  were 
then  beaten  (40).  After  another  short  period, 
Stephen,  one   of  the   deacons  of  the  Church,  was 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS.  73 

Stoned  to  death  as  a  blasphemer,  amid  the  execra- 
tions of  the  Sanhedrim  (vii.).  Again  we  read,  "At 
that  time  there  was  a  great  persecution  against  the 
Church  which  was  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  they  were 
all  scattered  abroad  throughout  the  regions  of  Judea 
and  Samaria,  except  the  apostles.  ...  As  for  Saul, 
he  made  havoc  of  the  Church,  entering  into  every 
liouse,  and  haling  men  and  women,  committed  them 
to  prison"  (viii.,  1— 3)  ;  "  and  when  they  were  put 
to  death  he  gave  his  voice  against  them"  (xxvi.,  10). 
The  conversion  of  Saul  brought  a  short  rest  to  the 
churches  (ix.,  31).  But  about  A.D.  43,  or  ten 
years  after  the  death  of  Christ,  the  Apostle  James 
was  martyred  by  Herod,  who,  because  "  he  saw  it 
pleased  the  Jews,"  determined  to  kill  Peter  also  (xii., 
1—3).  To  the  members  of  the  churches  of  Judea 
generally  the  Apostle  Paul  could  say,  "  Call  to  re- 
membrance the  former  days,  in  which  ye  endured  a 
great  fight  of  afflictions  ;  partly,  while  ye  were  made 
a  gazing-stock,  both  by  reproaches  and  afflictions  ; 
and  partly,  while  ye  became  companions  of  them 
that  were  so  used,"  Heb.,  x.,  32,  33.  What  less 
had  Jesus  promised  to  his  disciples  when  he  uttered 
the  following  words  ?  "  Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as 
sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves.  Beware  of  men  ;  for 
they  will  deliver  you  up  to  the  councils,  and  they 
will  scourge  you  in  their  synagogues.  And  the 
brother  shall  deliver  up  the  brother  to  death,  and 
the  father  the  child  ;  and  the  children  shall  rise  up 
against  their  parents,  and  cause  them  to  be  put  to 
death.  And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my 
name's  sake,"  Matt,  x.,  16,  17,  21,  22,  34-36. 
"  If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  his 


74  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

own  ;  but  because  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have 
chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the  world 
hateth  you.  If  they  have  persecuted  me,  they  will 
also  persecute  you,"  John,  xv.,  19,  20.  The  apostles 
were  too  honest  and  too  wise  not  to  set  all  this  be- 
fore those  to  whom  they  preached.  Indeed,  no  one 
needed  warning.  The  reasons  why  the  priests  and 
Scribes  should  hate  the  doctrine  of  Christ  were  too 
obvious.  The  hatred  itself  was  already  too  appar- 
ent. Hence  few- Jews  would  profess  their  belief  in 
the  doctrine  of  Christ  without  entire  conviction  of 
its  truth  and  great  earnestness.  And  of  all  these 
three  thousand  baptized  persons  the  apostles  had 
good  reason  to  think  that  the  profession  of  repentance 
and  faith  was  sincere. 

Indeed,  they  appear  to  have  become  eminently 
pious,  if  the  diligent  use  of  means,  continued  prayer, 
unparalleled  generosity,  ardent  gratitude,  and  gener- 
al joy,  can  prove  it ;  and  the  indications  of  this  earn- 
est feeling  must  have  been  from  the  first  apparent. 

Baptism  of  the  Samaritans. — Acts,  viii.,  5,  25. 

When  the  members  of  the  Church  at  Jerusalem 
were  driven  from  their  homes  by  persecution,  they 
"  went  every  where  preaching  the  word,"  Acts,  viii., 
4.  On  that  occasion,  Philip,  who  had  been  chosen 
by  the  Church  at  Jerusalem  one  of  its  deacons,  be- 
cause he  was  "full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom" 
(Acts,  v.,  2-5),  visited  the  city  of  Samaria*'  and 
there  preached  Christ,  Acts,  viii.,  5.     As  his  preach- 

*•  Which  might  be  translated,  a  city  of  Samaria. — See  John, 
iv.,  5,  Greek. 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS.  75 

ing  was  accompanied  by  miracles,  the  people  listened 
earnestly,  and  were  "filled  with  joy  at  what  they 
saw  and  heard"  (6—8).  We  know  what  he  preach- 
ed. A  man  flill  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  preaching  Christ 
to  an  attentive  people,  must  have  told  them  of  their 
ruin  by  nature,  of  the  love  of  God  to  mankind,  of  the 
atonement  wrought  out  by  Christ,  pf  salvation  by 
grace  through  faith  to  all  that  believe,  of  their  need 
of  regeneration  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  of  the  hell  which 
awaits  unpardoned  sinners,  and  of  the  heaven  to 
which  believers  will  be  admitted.  All  this,  with 
much  more,  he  preached  to  them.  When  Paul 
preached  among  the  Gentiles,  he  simply  preached 
Christ  as  Philip  did  (1  Cor.,  i.,  23  ;  ii.,  2,  4),  and 
the  chief  business  of  the  apostles  was  to  be  witnesses 
for  Christ  (Acts,  i.,  8) ;  but  the  effect  of  this  testi- 
mony was  to  be  the  conversion  of  multitudes  (Acts, 
xxvi.,  17,  18),  and,  in  fact,  numerous  churches  of 
saints  were  formed  in  many  lands  by  this  simple 
preaching  of  Christ.  Numerous  miracles  proved  the 
truth  of  the  facts  which  Philip  declared .  Demoni- 
acs were  rescued  from  the  power  of  the  devil,  para- 
lytic persons  received  strength,  and  the  lame  were 
healed  (6,  7).  The  circumstances  at  the  time  add- 
ed greatly  to  the  force  of  the  testimony  of  Philip. 
Persecution  was  at  this  time  raging  ;  believers  were 
arrested  in  their  houses  and  hurried  to  prison  (Acts, 
viii.,  1— 3)  ;  some  were  beaten,  some  compelled  to 
blaspheme,  some  were  killed  (Acts,  xxvi.,  10,  11)  ; 
and  when,  under  these  circumstances,  he,  being  driv- 
en from  Jerusalem,  preached  to  the  Samaritans,  they 
listened  (6),  they  received  his  word  (14);  and  "when 
they  believed  Philip  preaching  the  things  concerning 


76  BAPTISM    TO    NONE   BUT    BELIEVERS. 

the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
they  were  baptized,  both  men  and  women"  (12). 

Let  us  recollect  how  plainly  salvation  is  in  the 
New  Testament  annexed  to  faith  :  "As  many  as 
received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name," 
John,  i.,  12.  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave 
his  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  belie veth  on 
him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life," 
John,  iii.,  16.  See  also  John,  iii.,  36  ;  vi.,  47  ;  Acts, 
xiii.,  39,  48  ;  xvi.,  31  ;  Rom.,  i.,  16  ;  iii.,  22;  ix., 
33  ;  2  Thess.,  i.,  10  ;  1  John,  v.,  10.  Let  us  re- 
member, too,  that  a  thorough  belief  of  the  facts  and 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel  implies  saving  faith  in  Christ, 
as  is  stated  in  scripture  :  "  If  thou  shalt  confess  with 
thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in  thy 
heart  that  God  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou 
shalt  be  saved,"  Rom.,  x.,  9.  "  Whosoever  believ- 
eth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  born  of  God.  .  .  Who 
is  he  that  overcome th  the  world,  but  he  that  believ- 
eth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God  ?"  1  John,  v.,  1,  5. 
Hence  the  expression  in  the  text,  "  They  believed 
Philip,"  who  preached  Christ,  amounts  to  a  decla- 
ration that  they  believed  in  Christ.  To  this  it  is 
added  that  "they  received  the  word  of  God"  (14). 
When  the  three  thousand  were  converted  at  Pente- 
cost, it  is  said  "  they  gladly  received  the  word  of 
Peter,"  Acts,  ii.,  41.  When  the  Bereans  received 
the  word,  they  believed,  Acts,  xvii.,  11,  12.  When 
Cornelius  and  his  friends  became  true  believers,  it  is 
said  simply  that  "  they  received  the  word  of  God," 
Acts,  xi.,  1.  When  Paul  wrote  to  the  Thessaloni- 
ans,  he  said,  "  Ye  became  followers  of  us  and  of  the 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS.  77 

Lord,  having  received  the  word,"  1  Thess,,  i.,  6. 
And  as  it  is  said  of  the  Samaritans  that  they  also 
''  received  the  word  of  God,'"'  we  may  infer  that  they 
likewise  became  followers  of  the  Lord.  Seeing,  then, 
their  earnestness,  their  reception  of  the  Gospel,  and 
their  joy,  Philip  could  not  doubt  the  sincerity  of  their 
profession,  and  baptized  them  as  disciples  of  Christ. 
He  judged  rightly  :  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which 
speedily  followed,  was  the  proof  of  their  sincerity  ; 
when  the  apostles,  Peter  and  John,  "  laid  their  hands 
on  them,  they  received  the  Holy  Ghost"  (17),  and 
thus  "  God,  which  knoweth  the  hearts,  bare  them 
witness,  giving  them  the  Holy  Ghost,"  Acts,  xv.,  8. 
One  of  them,  indeed,  the  sorcerer  Simon,  after 
his  baptism,  proved  that  lie  still  retained  bitter  en- 
mity to  God  and  was  the  slave  of  sin  (23) ;  but, 
like  the  rest,  he  was  baptized  as  a  penitent  believer 
(13).  His  offer  of  money  to  Peter,  by  which  he 
hoped  to  buy  the  power  of  communicating  miracu- 
lous gifts,  proved  that  he  was  unconverted,  but  was 
no  proof  that  he  had  made  no  profession  of  repent- 
ance and  faith.  From  Philip  he  had  certainly 
heard  the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel  (12,  13).  He 
therefore  believed,  and  professed  to  believe,  the  cor- 
ruption of  man,  his  ruin  by  the  fall,  his  need  of  a 
Savior,  the  atonement  made  by  the  Son  of  God,  re- 
generation by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  necessity  of  entire 
obedience  to  the  law  of  God,  the  resurrection,  and 
the  future  judgment.  For  some  time  after  his  bap- 
tism he  continued  with  Philip,  and  had,  therefore, 
many  opportunities  of  hearing  him.  The  miracles 
which  he  witnessed  excited  his  attention  (13)  ;  and, 
therefore,  he  must  have  listened  to   ah  that  Philip 


78  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

said.  He  could  not  have  been  ignorant  of  the  Gos- 
pel at  the  time  when  he  ofiered  the  money  to  Peter  ; 
that  offer,  therefore,  is  no  proof  that  he  was  ignorant 
at  the  time  of  his  baptism  ;  and,  as  there  is  no  other 
proof  of  it,  we  are  entitled  to  conclude  that  at  his 
baptism  he  made,  like  the  rest,  a  credible  profession 
of  repentance  and  faith  ;  and  this  was  a  sufficient 
reason  for  his  being  admitted  by  Philip  to  baptism. 
If  it  be  further  objected,  that  as  Simon  is  said  to 
have  believed,  and  yet  he  had  no  saving  faith,  belief 
must  mean  something  less  than  saving  faith,  and 
that,  therefore,  the  Samaritans  may  neither  have  ex- 
perienced nor  professed  any  more  faith  than  that 
which  was  experienced  and  professed  by  Simon.  I 
answer,  that  since  it  is  said  of  the  gift  of  the  Spirit 
to  Cornelius  and  his  friends,  "  God,  which  knoweth 
the  hearts,  bare  them  witness,  giving  them  the  Holy 
Ghost"  (Acts,  XV.,  8),  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  to  the 
Samaritans  was  likewise  a  testimony  from  God  to 
their  sincerity.  And  whether  it  was  so  or  not,  we 
are  entitled  to  believe  that  they  made  a  credible  pro- 
fession of  saving  faith.  For,  since  salvation  is  so 
distinctly  and  repeatedly  attached  in  scripture  to 
faith,  and  the  true  disciples  of  Christ  are  constantly 
termed  believers  whenever  we  meet  with  these  terms 
in  the  New  Testament,  we  must  understand  them 
to  mean  true  and  saving  faith,  unless  the  contrary 
is  expressed  or  may  be  clearly  proved  from  the  con- 
text. It  is  certain  that  Philip  placed  before  them 
the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel ;  it  is  certain  that 
they  believed  them  and  received  them  ;  they,  there- 
fore, made  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ.  That 
profession  was  credible,  because  they  made  it  when 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTI3MS.  79 

the  Church  was  undergoing  a  furious  persecution, 
and  the  subsequent  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them 
is  an  evidence  that  their  profession  was  true. 

Baptism  of  the  Ethiopian  Eunuch. — Acts,  viii., 
26-39. 

This  eunuch  was  a  worshiper  of  God,  who  had 
taken  a  long  and  expensive  journey  to  attend  a  re- 
ligious festival  at  Jerusalem  (27).  He  was  in  pos- 
session of  the  book  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah  ;  and,  as  he 
traveled  in  his  chariot,  was  reading  the  prediction  of 
our  Savior  contained  in  the  fifty-third  chapter  of  that 
book  (28,  32,  33).  At  this  moment  he  was  joined 
by  Philip,  who  was  first  directed  by  an  angel  to  enter 
the  wilderness  between  Jerusalem  and  Gaza  ;  and, 
secondly,  was  directed  by  the  Spirit  to  approach  the 
chariot  (29).  Invited  to  sit  beside  him  in  the  chariot, 
Philip,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom,  expounded 
to  him  the  prophecy  which  he  had  been  reading,  and 
"  preached  unto  him  Jesus"  (30,  35)  ;  that  is,  he  de- 
clared to  him  the  incarnation,  the  life,  the  miracles, 
the  doctrine,  the  death,  the  resurrection,  the  ascen- 
sion, the  reign,  and  the  future  advent  of  Jesus.  In 
substance,  at  least,  he  told  him  the  words  of  Christ : 
"God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only-be- 
gotten Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  That  Philip 
taught  the  eunuch  all  this,  and  much  more,  is  cer- 
tain, first,  from  the  statement,  that  "  he  preached 
unto  him  Jesus  ;"  and,  second,  from  the  desire  which 
Philip,  as  a  man  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  felt  to  save 
his  soul.  And  when,  on  approaching  a  pool  of  wa- 
ter, he  said,  "  See,  here  is  water.      What  doth  hin- 


80  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

der  me  to  be  immersed  ?"  How  could  Philip  hesi- 
tate to  comply  with  his  request  ?  How  could  he 
doubt  that  he  was  a  real  believer  ? 

1 .  Philip  had  been  sent  to  him  by  special  revela- 
tion (26,  29).  Why  was  this,  if  God  did  not  de- 
sign to  convert  him  by  his  grace — if,  indeed,  he  was 
not  already  converted  ?  2.  Philip  found  him  read- 
ing the  word  of  God  (28),  a  fact  which  alone  beto- 
kened great  seriousness  of  mind.  3.  Philip  found 
that  he  had  just  taken  a  long  and  expensive  journey 
from  the  heart  of  Ethiopia  to  worship  God  at  Jeru- 
salem, according  to  the  law  of  God  (27  ;  Exod., 
xxiii.,  17),  having  renounced  the  idols  of  his  coun- 
try, which  were  sacrifices  which  no  one  would  make 
who  was  not  actuated  by  strong  religious  feelings. 
4.  When  Philip  "  preached  to  him  Jesus,"  explain- 
ing to.  him  the  way  of  salvation,  he  immediately  de- 
sired to  be  baptized  as  a  disciple  of  Christ.  Now, 
either  he  had  learned  something  about  Jesus  at  Jeru- 
salem or  not :  if  not,  then  Philip  must  have  explain- 
ed the  nature  of  baptism,  for  else  he  could  not  have 
wished  for  it ;  and  in  that  case  he  deliberately  con- 
secrated himself  to  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Spir- 
it ;  but  if  he  had  a  previous  knowledge  of  Christ  and 
of  Christians,  then  he  was  aware  of  the  fierce  jDerse- 
cution  of  Christians  at  Jerusalem,  and  desired  bap- 
tism when  he  knew  that  it  would  expose  him  to  the 
hatred  of  all  his  co-religionists.  5.  When  he  was 
baptized  he  manifested  joy  (39) :  now  baptism  alone 
could  not  occasion  this  ;  it  was,  therefore,  the  joy 
arising  from  a  discovery  of  the  way  of  salvation. 
See  Acts,  ii.,  46,  47;  viii.,  8;  xiii.,  52,  &c.,  &c. 
And  this  joy  must  have  been  as  apparent  before  his 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS.  81 

baptism  as  after  it.  And  what  could  cause  this  but 
faith  ?  When  PhiUp  considered  all  these  things,  he 
could  not  but  conclude  that  he  was  a  true  believer, 
and  that  God  had  sent  him  to  him  for  the  express 
purpose  of  bringing  him  to  faith  in  Christ.  In  his 
own  country  of  Ethiopia,  where  there  were  no  Chris- 
tians, he  could  not  obtain  baptism  ;  and  as  an  open 
expression  of  faith  before  his  servants  would  honor 
Christ  and  strengthen  his  faith,  Philip  could  not 
hesitate  to  baptize  him  as  a  believer  in  Jesus. 

Ba'ptisin  of  Paul. — Acts,  ix.,  1—20  ;  xx.,  1—16. 

When,  upon  being  struck  to  the  earth  and  blind- 
ed by  the  glory  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  on  the  road 
to  Damascus,  Paul,  "trembling  and  astonished,  said, 
Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?"  his  self-will 
was  subdued,  Acts,  ix.,  6.  Notwithstanding  that 
our  Lord  graciously  declared  his  purpose  to  make 
him  his  missionary  to  the  Gentiles  (xxvi.,  16—18), 
he  was  so  agitated  that  for  three  days  he  could  nei- 
ther eat  nor  drink  (ix.,  9).  Unable,  apparently,  to 
obtain  a  sense  of  pardon,  but  yet  incapable  of  de- 
spair, he  continued  during  those  days  to  pray  (ix., 
11).  While  he  was  so  engaged,  our  Lord  directed 
Ananias,  a  disciple  of  Damascus,  to  visit  him  (10, 
11),  who,  entering  his  room,  said,  "Brother  Saul, 
the  Lord  Jesus,  that  appeared  unto  thee  in  the  way 
as  thou  camest,  hath  sent  me  that  thou  mightest 
receive  thy  sight,  and  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  immediately  there  fell  from  his  eyes  as  it  had 
been  scales.  And  he  received  sight  forthwith"  (17, 
18).  Ananias  now  continued,  "The  God  of  our 
fathers  hath  chosen  thee  that  thou  shouldst  loiow 
F 


82  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

his  will,  and  see  that  Just  One,  and  shouldst  hear 
the  voice  of  his  mouth.  For  thou  shalt  be  his  wit- 
ness unto  all  men  of  what  thou  hast  seen  and  heard. 
And  now  why  tarriest  thou  ?  Arise,  and  be  bap- 
tized, and  wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord"  (xxii.,  14-16).  "  And  he  arose  and 
was  baptized"  (ix.,  18);  "and  straightway  he 
preached  Christ  in  the  synagogues  that  he  is  the 
Son  of  God"  (ix.,  20).  It  was  then  that  Jesus 
was  revealed  to  his  soul  that  he  might  preach  in 
his  name.  Gal.,  i.,  16.  His  subjection  to  Christ 
(6),  his  persevering  prayer  (11),  his  reception  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  (17),  his  immediate  renunciation  of  the 
world,  and  his  entrance  on  a  ministry  entailing  pov- 
erty, opposition,  pain,  and  perhaps  death,  prove  that 
he  was  then  converted.  And  Ananias  had  reason 
to  conclude  this,  for  he  had  heard  from  Christ  him- 
self that  Paul  was  "a  chosen  vessel"  (ix.,  15).  He 
had  been  sent  by  Jesus  to  communicate  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  him  ;  he  witnessed  in  him  those  humble 
and  earnest  feelings  which  his  continual  prayer  had 
manifested ;  and  when  he  saw  that  his  sight  was 
restored,  and  that  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  were 
communicated  to  him  (ix.,  17,  18),  he  could  not 
hesitate  to  baptize  him  as  a  penitent  believer. 

It  has  been  argued  that  Ananias  could  not  con- 
sider him  to  be  a  believer  because  he  said,  "  Arise, 
and  wash  away  thy  sins"  (xxii.,  16).  But  as  con- 
fession must  follow  faith,  and  yet  is  said  to  save 
(Rom.,  X.,  9,  10),  so  baptism  may  follow  faith,  and 
yet  be  said  to  wash  away  sins.  In  both  cases  it  is 
the  faith  itself  which  justices.  In  the  one  case  con- 
fession is  spoken  of  as  the  expression  of  saving  faith, 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS.  83 

in  the  other  case  baptism  is  spoken  of  as  its  expres- 
sion. In  the  one  case  the  apostle  declares,  virtual- 
ly, that  faith  saves  when  it  makes  a  man  confess 
Christ  ;  in  the  other,  Ananias  intimated  that  it 
would  save  when  it  led  to  the  particular  mode  of 
confessing  Christ,  viz.,  baptism.  For,  as  Mr,  Poole 
says,  "  Where  true  faith  is  together  with  profession 
of  it  by  baptism,  there  is  salvation  promised." — 
Poole  on  Mark,  xvi.,  16. 

Baptism  of  Cor^ielius. — Acts,  x.,  1-48. 

That  Cornehus  was  a  believer  at  the  time  of  his 
baptism  is,  I  think,  apparent  from  the  narrative. 
He  was,  it  is  said,  evaebriq  icai  (po6ovji£vog  rdv  Qeov, 
"  a  devout  man,  and  one  that  feared  God,"  and  all 
his  household  had  the  same  character.  Acts,  x.,  2. 
By  this  term,  evaedrjg,  devout,  the  piety  of  Ananias 
of  Damascus  was  expressed,  Acts,  xxii.,  12.  By 
this  term  the  children  of  God  generally  are  desig- 
nated by  Peter,  2  Peter,  ii.,  9.  One  great  end  of 
redemption  is  said  by  Paul  to  be  to  make  men  evae- 
6elg,  godly,  Titus,  ii.,  12.  Cornelius  was,  there- 
fore, a  godly  man.  The  expression  "  to  fear  God" 
means  to  have  supreme  reverence  and  regard  to 
him,  as  we  may  judge  from  the  following  passages  : 
"His  mercy  is  on  them  that  fear  him  throughout 
all  generations,"  Luke,  i.,  50.  "  Servants,  obey  in 
all  things  your  masters  ...  in  singleness  of  heart, 
fearing  God,"  Col.,  iii.,  22.  "  Let  us  cleanse  our- 
selves, perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God,"  2  Cor., 
vii.,  1,  &c.  Cornelius,  therefore,  and  his  household, 
who  feared  God,  were  the  servants  and  children  of 
God,  and  were,  therefore,  accepted  by  him,  Acts,  x., 


84  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

35.  There  is  reason  to  think  the  same  of  his 
"  kinsmen  and  near  friends"  (24),  who  all  met  to 
hear  the  word  of  God  (33).  Upon  them  all,  after 
that  they  had  heard  the  Gospel  preached  unto  them, 
the  Holy  Ghost  was  poured  out  (44),  all  in  foreign 
languages  magnified  God  (46).  Then  "  God,  which 
knows  the  hearts,  bare  them  witness,  giving  them 
the  Holy  Ghost  .  .  .  purifying  their  hearts  by  faith," 
Acts,  XV.,  8,  9.  And  when  the  Church  at  Jerusa- 
lem, instructed  by  apostles,  heard  these  facts,  "they 
glorified  God,  saying,  Then  hath  God  also  to  the 
Gentiles  granted  repentance  unto  life,"  Acts,  xi., 
18.  This,  it  is  clear  from  the  narrative,  the  apos- 
tle understood.  They  were  penitent  believers,  the 
apostle  knew  them  to  be  so,  and  as  such  he  baptized 
them. 

Baptism  of  Lydia  and  of  her  Household. — Acts, 
xvi.,  11-15. 

Lydia  and  her  household  were  baptized  by  Paul 
as  believers. 

Lydia  was  a  pious  person  at  the  time  of  her  bap- 
tism. For  she  was  a  worshiper  of  God  (14) ;  she 
listened  attentively  to  the  preaching  of  Paul  (14) ; 
she  did  so  because  the  Lord  "  opened  her  heart"  to 
receive  the  truth  ;  and  at  her  baptism  she  made  a 
distinct  profession  of  faith,  asking  Paul  and  his  com- 
panions to  become  her  guests  if  they  judged  her  to 
be  TTLorT},  a  believer  (15). 

And  Paul  had  reason  to  think  that  she  was  a  be- 
liever. For  when  the  Lord  opened  her  heart  to  re- 
ceive the  Gospel  in  reality,  her  conversation  would 
soon  show  both  her  knowledge  of  it  and  her  hearty 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS.  85 

reception  of  it.  Immediately  after  her  baptism  she 
invited  the  evangehsts  to  become  her  guests,  if  they 
considered  her  faithful,  that  is,  a  true  believer  ;  for 
so  the  word  ttlottj  means,  Acts,  xvi.,  1  ;  2  Tim., 
i.,  5  ;  Eph.,  i.,  1  ;  Col.,  i.,  2,  7  ;  iv.,  7,  9  ;  1  Tim., 
i.,  12.  And  their  acceptance  of  the  invitation;  made 
upon  that  express  condition,  shows  that  they  did 
then  consider  her  to  be  a  believer.  But,  if  so,  they 
must  have  considered  her  so  before  her  baptism,  since 
that  ceremony  could  not  effect  the  change.  It  is 
therefore  apparent  that  she  was  baptized  as  a  peni- 
tent believer. 

Of  the  members  of  her  family  nothing  is  said  ; 
but,  from  the  practice  of  the  apostles  in  other  cases, 
we  may  judge  that  they  also  had  professed  their 
faith,  and  no  less  than  their  mistress  were  baptized 
as  believers  ;  as  Cornelius  "  feared  God  with  all  his 
house"  (Acts,  x.,  2),  as  the  nobleman  at  Capernaum 
believed  "and  his  whole  house"  (John,  iv.,  33),  as 
the  jailer  at  Philippi  "  rejoiced,  believing  with  all 
his  house"  (Acts,  xvi.,  34),  and  as  Crispus  of  Co- 
rinth "  believed  in  the  Lord  with  all  his  house" 
(Acts,  xviii.,  8),  so  it  appears  from  the  fact  of  their 
baptism  that  Lydia  believed  with  all  her  house  ; 
and,  like  all  others,  they  were  baptized  on  a  profes- 
sion of  their  faith. 

Baptism  of  the  Jailer  of  Philippi. — Acts,  xvi., 
22-34. 

The  jailer  had  treated  Paul  and  Silas  with  un- 
necessary harshness  ;  for  he  thrust  them  into  the  in- 
ner prison,  fastened  them  in  the  stocks,  and  there 
left  them  to  bear  their  pain  and  hunger  unpitied, 


86  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

when  he  might  have  easily  learned  their  innocence, 
and  v/hen,  without  any  violation  of  his  duty,  he 
might,  as  he  afterward  did,  have  treated  them  kind- 
ly, dressing  their  wounds  and  offering  them  food. 
When,  therefore,  the  earthquake,  in  conjunction  with 
their  Christian  conduct,  convinced  him  that  they 
were  the  servants  of  God  to  whom  he  had  acted  with 
cruelty,  he  was  afraid  of  the  immediate  vengeance 
of  God  (29,  30).  But  when  they  said  to  him,  "Be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved,"  and  then  explained  the  Gospel  more  fully  to 
him,  "  He  was  transported  with  joy,  TiyaXXidoaro,  be- 
lieving in  God"  (3 1 ,  34).  The  word  used  expresses 
the  joy  of  faith  experienced  by  the  Christians  of  Asia 
Minor,  to  whom  Peter,  speaking  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  said,  "  In  whom  ayaXXtdade,  ye  greatly  re- 
joice." "  In  whom  believing  ayaXXidGde,  ye  rejoice 
with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,"  1  Pet.,  i., 
6,  8.  No  man  could  so  rejoice  in  Christ  without 
faith ;  and  faith  is  said  to  have  been  the  cause  of 
his  joy  :  "  He  rejoiced  believing  in  God."  There 
seems  to  me  no  force  in  the  objection  that  his  joy 
and  his  faith  are  named  subsequently  to  his  baptism, 
because  the  water  could  efiect  no  change  in  his 
views.  Without  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  without  the  assurance  of  the  pardon  of  his  sins, 
how  could  immersion  fill  him  with  joy  ?  He  was 
immersed  because  he  believed  in  Christ,  and  rejoiced 
because  he  was  thus  allowed  to  profess  his  faith. 
His  open  and  instant  confession  of  Christ  might  in- 
crease his  joy,  but  its  only  intelligible  source  is,  that 
he,  as  a  guilty  sinner,  felt  himself  to  be  pardoned, 
and  that  joy  was  the  same  before  baptism  as  after. 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS.  87 

It  is  apparent  also  that  Paul  thought  him  to  be 
a  believer.  His  extreme  terror  was  apparent  in  his 
agitated  looks,  his  frantic  gestures,  and  his  earnest 
words,  "  Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  (27—30). 
Paul  necessarily  saw  how  eagerly  he  welcomed  the 
doctrine  of  salvation  by  grace  through  faith.  The 
immense  change  from  terror  to  exultation  effected  by 
faith  was  equally  visible  ;  and  when,  in  place  of  his 
former  cruelty,  he  now  treated  them  with  brotherly 
kindness,  how  could  the  apostle,  who  was  so  much 
accustomed  to  the  sudden  conversions  effected  by 
divine  grace,  doubt  that  the  Spirit  of  God  had 
changed  his  heart  ?  How  could  he  refuse  to  bap- 
tize him  as  a  penitent  believer  ? 

It  is  no  less  certain  that  his  household  believed 
also  ;  for  they  likewise,  excited  by  the  earthquake 
and  by  the  other  circumstances  of  that  eventful 
night,  listened  to  the  words  of  these  wonderful  pris- 
oners (32) ;  the  change  wrought  in  the  head  of  the 
family  must  have  acted  powerfully  on  their  minds, 
and  the  narrative  expressly  declares,  7]yaX,XidaaT0 
navoinl  TTETnGTEVKibg  TW  GfGJ,  "  he  exulted,  having 
believed  in  God  with  all  his  house"  (34).  These 
words  express  the  faith  of  the  household,  whether 
we  understand  them  to  mean  that  he  rejoiced  to- 
gether with  all  his  house,  or  that  he  believed  togeth- 
er with  them.  For  if  he  believed  together  with 
them,  their  faith  was  like  his  ;  and  if  he  exulted  to- 
gether with  them,  then,  like  him,  they  possessed  the 
vehement  joy  of  faith.^ 

*  See  Acts,  ii.,  46 ;  Jude,  24.  It  makes  little  diflference  wheth- 
er TcavoLKi  be  construed  with  riyaKXiaaaTo,  or  with  ireTrtaTevKug ; 
but  it  is  generally  construed  with  the  latter. 


88  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

The  Baptism  of  the  Corinthians,. — Acts,  xviii..  8. 

Of  the  formation  of  the  Corinthian  Church  we 
read,  "  Crispus,  the  chief  ruler  of  the  synagogue, 
beUeved  in  the  Lord  with  all  his  house  ;  and  many 
of  the  Corinthians  hearing,  believed  and  were  bap- 
tized." Since  our  Lord  has  said,  "  He  that  believ- 
eth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved"  (Mark,  xvi.,  16), 
and  these  Corinthians  "believed  and  were  baptized," 
they  were  therefore  saved.  There  is  no  more  reason 
to  give  the  lowest  sense  to  the  word  "  believed"  in 
this  narrative  than  there  is  to  give  it  to  the  same 
word  in  Mark,  xvi,  ;  and,  therefore,  there  is  no  rea- 
son to  doubt  that  these  persons  were  true  believers 
before  baptism. 

The  Baptism  oftivelve  Ephesians. — Acts,  xix.,1— 7. 

These  Ephesians  were  also  baptized  as  believers. 
When  Paul  came  to  Ephesus,  he  found,  it  is  said, 
twelve  "disciples."  As  believers  alone  are  called 
disciples  in  the  New  Testament,  and  as  the  apostle 
thought  that  they  were  believers  in  Christ  (2),  these 
must  have  been  men  of  a  religious  character  ;  and  as 
they  were,  in  fact,  disciples  of  John,  from  whom  they 
had  received  baptism  many  years  before,  it  is  evident 

"  The  jailer  is  said  to  have  believed  in  God  with  all  his  house, 
I.  c,  with  all  his  family  to  have  accepted  and  approved  the  Chris- 
tian doctrine.  Gustos  carceris,  -KavoLKt  7ve7riaTtvK0)c  tQi  Qeu),  di- 
citur,  i.  e.,  cum  totd  suA  familiii  accepisse  et  probasse  doctrinam 
Christianam." — Schleusner.  "  He  exulted  because  with  all  his 
house  he  had  believed  in  God.  Exultavit  quod  cum  totd  dome 
credidisset  Deo." — Stephen.  "  On  this  account  he  rejoiced,  that 
not  on  himself  alone,  but  on  his  whole  family,  such  light  had  been 
poured.  Ideo  gavisus  est  quod,  non  ipse  tantum,  sed  tota  ejus 
familia  tanta  luce  perfusa  esset"--Grotms. 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS,  89 

that  Ihcy  had  been  baptized  unto  repentance  for  the 
remission  of  sins  (Mark,  i.,  4),  that  they  had  re- 
pented unto  hfe  (Matt.,  iii.,  2,  6),  and  that  after  the 
lapse  of  so  many  years  they  were  living  as  pious  per- 
sons. Although  they  were  looking  for  the  immediate 
advent  of  the  Messiah  (Matt.,  iii.,  2),  and  knew  that 
he  would  baptize  his  followers  in  the  Holy  Ghost 
(Matt.,  iii.,  11),  yet,  being  far  from  Judea,  they  had 
neither  known  the  particulars  of  the  life  of  Jesus, 
nor  had  they  heard  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
the  churches  in  consequence  of  his  exaltation.  But 
when  Paul  reminded  them  that  John  had  announced 
a  Savior  to  come  after  him  (4),  and  then  explained 
to  them  the  claims  of  Jesus  (4),  they  were  baptized 
eig  TO  6vo(ia,  "unto  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  and 
immediately  received  the  Holy  Spirit  (5,  6).  Since 
thus  "  God,  who  knoweth  the  hearts,  bare  them  wit- 
ness, giving  them  the  Holy  Ghost"  (Acts,  xv.,  8), 
we  may  infer  not  only  that  they  were  then  believers 
before  that  they  were  thus  "  sealed  by  the  Spirit" 
(Eph.,  i.,  13),  but  also  that  Paul  had  good  grounds 
from  their  hfe,  and  from  their  conversation  with 
him,  to  judge  them  to  be  so,  and,  as  such,  baptized 
them. 

These  being  all  the  instances  of  baptism  recorded 
in  the  New  Testament,  it  appears  that  all  the  per- 
sons of  whose  baptism  there  is  any  inspired  narrative 
were  persons  who  were  professed  behevers  in  Christ. 
There  is  no  excepted  case. 

The  evidence  of  this  fact  seems  to  me  so  clear 
and  precise,  that  no  imaginations  can  be  received  in 
opposition  to  it.  Nevertheless,  as  these  are  much 
insisted  on,  let  us  examine  their  amount  and  worth. 


90  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS 

It  has  been  said  that  these  persons  were  generally 
baptized  at  once  ;  many  of  them  on  the  first  day  that 
they  heard  the  Gospel ;  that  no  tests  of  character 
were  applied,  no  testimonials  were  asked,  and  no 
delay  suggested  ;  that  ministers  baptized  without 
any  consent  of  churches  ;  and  that  they  were  there- 
fore baptized,  not  as  believers,  but  as  catechumens. 
I  answer,  that  since  the  inspired  word  declares  that 
they  were  believers,  all  these  objections  can  not  dis- 
prove it. 

But  the  objections  themselves  seem  to  me  weak. 
In  the  circumstances  in  which  these  converts  were 
placed,  sudden  conversions  were  to  be  expected.  To 
the  truth  of  the  sudden  conversion  both  of  Zacclieus 
and  of  the  crucified  thief  our  Lord  bore  testimony 
(Luke,  xix.,  9  ;  xxiii.,  43) ;  and  of  Paul's  sudden 
conversion  to  be  a  faithful  apostle  there  can  be  no 
doubt,  Acts,  ix.,  20.  Why,  then,  should  not  other 
conversions  be  sudden  ?  The  preachers  were,  in 
most  of  the  cases,  inspired  and  fervent ;  they  had 
made  great  sacrifices  for  the  truth  ;  the  miracles 
which  they  wrought  were  impressive  ;  their  doctrine 
could  not  be  doubted  ;  and  if  that  doctrine  was  true, 
men  were  bound  to  trust  and  serve  Christ  at  once. 
Under  such  circumstances,  to  change  their  views, 
feelings,  and  habits  at  once,  was  sobriety  ;  to  delay 
the  change,  was  infatuation. 

If  no  testimonials  of  character  were  asked,  and 
no  delay  of  baptism  suggested,  neither  of  these  were 
necessary.  The  converts  embraced  shame,  perse- 
cution, loss,  and  hardship,  when  they  received  the 
Gospel :  none  but  earnest  men  were  then  likely  to 
profess  their  reception  of  it ;  and  neither  ministers 


APOSTOLIC    BAPTISMS.  91 

nor  churches  were  authorized  to  demand  any  other 
quaUfications  in  the  converts  than  the  external  in- 
dications of  conversion — a  hearty  reception  of  the 
doctrine  of  Christ,  and  a  cheerful  subjection  to  his 
yoke. 

If  the  converts  were  sometimes  baptized  without 
the  sanction  of  the  churches,  this  was  in  every  case 
apparently  when  there  were  no  churches  which  could 
sanction  them.  In  the  case  of  the  three  thousand 
at  Jerusalem,  nearly  the  whole  Church  apparently 
were  engaged  in  baptizing  the  converts.  The  Sa- 
maritans, the  eunuch,  Cornelius,  Lydia,  the  jailer, 
the  Corinthians,  and  the  Ephesians,  were  baptized 
when  there  was  no  Church  in  the  place.  The  bap- 
tized were  themselves  the  first  members  of  the 
churches  to  which  they  afterward  belonged. 

Now,  since  all  the  persons  baptized  by  the  apostles 
and  their  cotemporaries  were,  according  to  the  only 
records  which  we  possess,  believers,  what  right  have 
we  to  baptize  any  others  ?  The  baptism  of  a  be- 
liever is  a  spontaneous  profession  of  faith  ;  the  bap- 
tism, of  any  other  class  is  something  essentially  dif- 
ferent ;  and  how  can  we  innocently  add  to  Christ's 
institution  something  essentially  different  ?  His  com- 
mission declares  that  believers  are  to  be  baptized  ; 
the  books  of  the  New  Testament  record  the  baptism 
of  none  but  believers  ;  where,  then,  is  the  precept 
or  the  precedent  for  something  totally  distinct,  the 
baptism  of  catechumens  or  of  infants  ?  If  you  bap- 
tize these,  baptize  also  heathens.  Why  do  you  re- 
ject heathens  from  baptism  but  because  you  have 
no  precept  or  precedent  to  authorize  their  baptism  ? 
And  since  you  are  equally  without  both  precept  and 


92  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

precedent  for  llio  baptism  of  infants,  rescue  them 
also  from  the  disadvantage  of  an  unauthorized  and 
deceptive  rite,  which,  by  making  them  Christians 
in  name,  may  hinder  them  from  being  Christians  in 
reahty. 

VI.   The   Nature   and   Effects   of  Baptism,  as 

DECLARED   IN    THE    NeW   TeSTAMENT. 

We  have  already  seen  proof  that  behevers  alone 
ought  to  be  baptized  from  the  terms  of  the  commis- 
sion in  Matt.,  xxviii.,  and  from  the  fact  that  they 
alone  are  declared  to  have  been  baptized  by  apostles 
and  their  cotemporaries.  We  may  see  further  proof 
of  this  truth  from  other  statements  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment respecting  the  nature  and  effects  of  baptism. 

The  passages  which  I  wish  to  examine  on  this 
subject  are  the  following  : 

"Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except  a  man  be 
born  dvcddev,  from  above,  he  can  not  see  the  kingdom 
of  God.  .  .  .  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee.  Except  a 
man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." — John,  iii.,  3,  5. 

"  Repent,  and  be  baptized,  every  one  of  you,  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost." — 
Acts,  ii.,  38. 

"Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins, 
calling  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord." — Acts,  ii.,  16. 

"  Know  ye  not,  that  so  many  of  us  as  were  bap- 
tized unto  Jesus  Christ  were  baptized  into  his  death  ? 
Therefore  we  are  buried  with  him  by  baptism  unto 
death  ;  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from  the 
dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also 


THE  NATURE  AND  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.        93 

should  walk  in  newness  of  life.  For  if  we  have  heen 
ovfX(pvTOL,^^  associated,  connected  in  the  likeness  of 
liis  de^th,  we  shall  be  also  in  the  likeness  of  his  res- 
urrection :  knowing  this,  that  our  old  man  is  cruci- 
fied with  him  that  the  body  of  sin  might  be  destroy- 
ed, that  henceforth  we  should  not  serve  sin." — 
Rom.,  vi.,  3—6. 

"  For  ye  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus.  For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been 
baptized  unto  Christ  have  put  on  Christ.  ...  In 
whom,  also,  ye  are  circumcised  with  the  circumcision 
made  without  hands,  in  putting  off  the  body  of  the 
sins  of  the  flesh  by  the  circumcision  of  Christ :  buried 
with  him  in  baptism,  wherein  also  ye  are  risen  with 
him  through  the  faith  of  the  operation  of  God,  who 
hath  raised  him  from  the  dead." — Gal.,  iii.,  26,  27  ; 
Col.,  ii.,  11,  12. 

**  Not  by  works  of  righteousness  which  we  have 
done,  but  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the 
washing  of  regeneration  and  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost." — Tit.,  iii.,  5. 

"  The  antitype  to  which,  o)  avrirvnov,  baptism, 
doth  also  now  save  us,  not  the  putting  away  of  the 
filth  of  the  flesh,  but  ovvetd'^aeijjg  dyadrjg  hnspojrrjua 
elg  Qsbv,  the  petition  unto  God,  or  the  seeking  after 
God,  of  a  good  conscience." — 1  Pet.,  iii.,  21. 

Any  person  attentively  reading  these  passages 
without  a  previous  bias,  would,  I  think,  be  at  once 
disposed  to  think  that  faith  must  precede  baptism  ; 

*  " 'Zvfj.ipvTo^,  planted  together,  connected  together." — Stuart. 
From  "  1,vjj.(f)vo/xai,  to  be  necessarily  connected."  —  Lidddl. 
"  'ZvfjKpvTog,  grown  together  into  one,  conjoined,  united." — Robin- 


94  BAPTISM  TO  NONE  BUT  BELIEVERS. 

and  this  is  made  plainer  by  a  closer  examination  of 
their  meaning. 

John,  iii.,  3,  5. — "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee, 
Except  a  onan  he  horn  avG}d£v,froni  ahove,  he  can 
not  see  the  kingdom  of  God.  .  .  .  Verily,  ve?'ily,  I 
say  unto  thee,  Except  a  man  he  horn  of  water  and 
of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
Godr 

The  word  avo)B£v,  usually  translated  "  again,"  in 
this  place  does  not  mean  again,  but  "from  above." 
See  verse  31  ;  xix.,  11 ;  James,  i.,  17  ;  iii.,  15,  17. 
It  has  not  the  sense  of  "  again"  in  the  lexicons,  nor 
in  the  Septuagint,  nor  in  the  New  Testament,  if  we 
except,  perhaps,  one  doubtful  passage,  Gal.,  iv.,  9  ; 
but  it  constantly  means  "from  above."  "To  be 
born  from  above"  is  the  same  thing  as  "to  be  born 
of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,"  in  the  5th  verse,  both 
describing  the  same  new  birth,  because  the  5th  verse 
is  our  Lord's  explanation  of  the  3d  verse,  in  answer 
to  the  question  of  Nicodemus.  Let  us  examine,  then, 
first,  the  nature  of  this  new  birth,  and,  secondly,  its 
necessity. 

1 .  The  Nature  of  the  New  Birth. — To  be  born 
from  above  (verse  3),  to  be  born  of  God  (John,  i., 
13  ;  1  John,  iii.,  9),  to  become  sons  of  God  (John, 
i.,  12  ;  Rom.,  viii.,  14),  to  be  born  of  the  Spirit 
(John,  iii.,  6,  8),  to  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit 
(5),  to  be  born  again  (1  Pet.,  i.,  23),  and  to  be  re- 
generate (Tit.,  iii.,  5),  are  all  phrases  which  express 
the  same  thing.  For  to  be  born  from  above  must 
be  to  be  born  of  God,  who  is  above  ;  to  be  born  of 
God  is  to  be  a  son  of  God  :   to  be  born  of  God  is  to 


THE   NATURE  AND  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.        95 

be  born  of  the  Spirit,  who  is  God  ;  to  be  born  of  the 
Spirit  must  be  the  same  thing  as  to  be  born  of  wa- 
ter and  of  the  Spirit,  since  the  Spirit  does  not  ac- 
complish two  births  from  above  ;  and  this  birth  of 
water  and  of  the  Spirit  must  be  the  new  birth,  or  re- 
generation, because  this  spiritual  birth  is  a  new  birth, 
and  there  is  no  other  new  birth  which  men  experi- 
ence. 

This  new  birth  is  effected  by  God  through  his 
word,  James,  i.,  18  ;  1  Pet.,  i.,  23.  It  is  effected 
through  faith,  John,  i.,  12  ;  Gal.,  iii.,  26  ;  1  John, 
v.,  1.  The  effects  and  proofs  of  it  are  love  to  God 
and  man,  1  John,  iv.,  7  ;  holy  obedience,  R-om.,.viii., 
14  ;  1  John,  ii.,  29  ;  iii.,  9,  10  ;  v.,  18  ;  and  a  filial 
spirit,  Pvom.,  viii.,  15,  16.  Those,  therefore,  who, 
through  the  influence  of  the  Scriptures,  beheve  in 
Christ,  love  God  and  man,  obey  the  commands  of 
God,  and  feel  toward  God  as  children  toward  a  par- 
ent, are  born  of  the  Spirit. 

But  our  Lord  here  says  that  water  has  some  con- 
nection with  this  change.  Each  is  to  be  born  of 
water  and  of  the  Spirit.  Now,  since  the  Jews  bap- 
tized their  proselytes,  and  called  the  baptized  per- 
sons new-born,  of  which  Nicodemus  was  aware,  since 
John  had  baptized  many  disciples,  and  the  disciples 
of  Jesus  themselves  also  baptized  converts  in  water. 
By  water  in  this  place,  there  is  reason  to  think  that 
Jesus  meant,  not  the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  but  the 
water  of  baptism.  There  is  no  other  place  in  Scrip- 
ture in  which  regeneration  by  the  Spirit  is  called  a 
birth  by  water ;  and  this  passage  is  unlike  Matt., 
iii.,  11,  where  the  baptism  in  the  Spirit  is  termed 
<'  a  baptism  in  fire,"  because  here  the  word  "  water" 


96     BAPTISM  TO  NONE  BUT  BELIEVERS. 

is  not  put  after  the  word  "  Spirit,"  as  though  to  ex- 
plain the  spiritual  baptism,  but  before  it,  as  though 
to  express  something  distinct,  though  associated. 
Calvin,  Bullinger,  Grotius,  Poole,  Lampe,  and  Gill, 
deny  the  reference  of  the  passage  to  baptism  ;  Beza, 
Baxter,  Benson,  Scott,  Barnes,  Bengel,  and  others, 
maintain  that  reference  ;  and  they  are  probably 
right.  But  if  our  Lord  here  referred  to  baptism, 
then  he  declared  that  a  man  is  born  from  above  by 
the  Spirit  and  by  baptism.  How  is  this  to  be  un- 
derstood ?  Does  the  Spirit  effect  the  regeneration 
of  a  person  by  the  water  of  baptism  ?  Many  think 
so.  "  In  baptism,"  says  a  respectable  writer  of  our 
day,  "  two  very  different  causes  are  combined — the 
one,  God  himself;  the  other,  a  creature  which  he 
has  thought  fit  to  hallow  for  this  end.  .  .  .  This  re- 
generation is  the  being  born  of  water  and  of  the 
Spirit,  or  by  God's  Spirit  again  moving  on  the  face 
of  the  waters,  and  sanctifying  them  for  our  cleansing, 
and  cleansing  us  thereby." — Tract  67,  p.  13,  19. 
But  the  idea,  is  wholly  contrary  to  Scripture,  which 
declares  that  men  are  regenerated  by  the  word  of 
God  (James,  i.,  18  ;  1  Pet.,  i.,  23  ;  John,  i.,  12,  13  ; 
Gal.,  iii.,  26;  Eph.,  v.,  26);  and  as  distinctly  re- 
futed by  facts,  since  their  ungodly  lives  prove  num- 
bers of  baptized  persons  to  remain  unregenerate. 
The  expression  can  not  mean  that  men  must  be 
made  catechumens  by  baptism,  and  afterward  be 
born  of  the  Spirit,  because  these  two  things  are  so 
distinct  and  separate  that  they  can  not  both  be  call- 
ed one  new  birth,  one  birth  from  above.  But  as 
regeneration  takes  place  when  a  man  receives  faith 
from  God,  and  baptism   is   the  expression  of  faith 


THE    NATURE    AND    EFFECTS    OF   BAPTISM.      97 

which  necessarily  follows,  a  person  who  does  not 
possess  faith  has  no  faith  and  is  not  regenerate  ;  and 
baptism,  as  the  outward  sign  of  faith  or  regenera- 
tion, may  thus  be  rightly  connected  with  it  in  lan- 
guage. The  work  of  the  Spirit  makes  a  man  a  new 
creature,  and  baptism  is  the  manifestation  of  the 
change.  The  Spirit  alone  renews  the  mind,  the 
will,  and  the  affections,  changing  pride  into  humili- 
ty, self-righteousness  into  contrition,  unbelief  into 
faith,  enmity  into  love,  worldliness  into  spirituality 
of  mind,  slavery  to  sin  into  the  love  of  duty  and  the 
habit  of  obedience,  Eph.,  ii.,  4,  5,  10.  Profession 
alone  is  wanting  to  complete  the  change.  And 
when  a  person  who  has  received  spiritual  life  mani- 
fests it  by  confessing  Christ  before  men  by  immersion, 
then  he  is  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit — his  new 
birth  is  complete.  He  has  received  new  life,  and 
his  new  life  is  manifested  to  the  world. 

2.  The  Necessity  of  the  Neio  Birth. — All  en- 
lightened persons  own  the  necessity  of  a  great  moral 
change  to  be  effected  by  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  but 
why  is  baptism  a  necessary  adjunct  ?  The  moral 
change  is  not  effected  by  baptism,  but  before  it,  as 
we  know  from  Scripture  and  from  indubitable  facts  ; 
but  why  then  is  baptism  so  necessary  that  Jesus 
could  say,  "  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of 
the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God  ?"  The  answer  is  obvious.  Baptism  is  the 
profession  of  faith,  the  pubUc  confession  of  Christ, 
without  which  confession  there  is  no  true  faith  and 
no  salvation.  So  Jesus  has  himself  pronounced, 
Matt.,  X.,  32,  33  ;  see  also  Rom.,  x.,  8-10  ;  Rev., 
xxi.,  8.  And  as  the  confession  of  Christ  is  necessa- 
G 


98  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

ry  to  salvation,  so  is  baptism  to  those  vv^ho  knowr 
that  this  is  the  appointed  method  of  confessing  him. 

'<  It  is  not  another  kind  of  faith,  but  that  same 
which  in  the  sincere  is  saving  which  is  required  to 
be  professed  in  baptism." — Baxter. 

"It  is  most  certain  that  a  profession  of  faith  and 
repentance  was  ordinarily  required  before  the  baptism 
of  adult  persons.  .  .  .  Where  true  faith  is  together 
with  the  profession  of  it  by  baptism,  there  is  salva- 
tion promised,  Mark,  xvi.,  16." — Poole,  Matt.,  iii., 
6  ;  Acts,  xxii.,  16. 

"  The  necessity  of  regeneration  in  the  first  place, 
and  then  of  baptism,  is  here  confirmed." — Bengel. 

"  Unless  a  man  has  a  new  nature  given  him  by 
the  Spirit,  which  is  being  born  of  the  Spirit,  and 
publicly  receive  the  Christian  religion  when  ofiered 
to  him  (Matt.,  x.,  33),  which  is  being  born  of  water, 
he  can  not  be  a  subject  of  God's  kingdom  here,  nor 
have  a  share  in  his  glory  hereafter.  ...  As  the  wash- 
ing of  the  body  with  water  in  baptism  fitly  repre- 
sents the  purification  of  the  soul,  this  ceremony  is 
very  properly  made  the  rite  by  which  we  publicly 
take  upon  ourselves  the  profession  of  the  Christian 
religion  ;  wherefore  the  receiving  of  this  rite  is  nec- 
essary in  all  cases  where  it  may  be  had  ;  the  con- 
fessing of  Christ  being  often  as  necessary  as  believ- 
ing in  him." — Benson. 

"  Baptism  in  the  ordinary  course  of  things  is  req- 
uisite to  the  outward  profession  of  Christianity." — 
Scott. 

*'  Jesus  meant  undoubtedly  to  be  understood  as 
aflfirming  that  this  was  to  be  the  regular  and  uni- 
form way  of  entering  into  his  Church,  that  this  was 


THE  NATURE  AND  EFFECTS  OF   BAPTISM.       99 

the  appropriate  mode  of  making  a  profession  of  relig- 
ion. ...  It  is  the  duty  of  every  one  not  only  to  love 
the  Savior,  but  to  make  an  acknowledgment  of  that 
love  by  being  baptized  and  devoted  to  his  service.  .  . . 
He  can  not  enter  into  the  true  Church  here  or  in  the 
Vi^orld  to  come  except  in  connection  with  a  change 
of  heart,  and  by  the  proper  expression  of  that  change 
ki  the  ordinances  appointed  by  the  Savior." — Barnes. 

Acts,  ii.,  38. — "  Repent,  and  be  baptized,  every 
one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the 
reynission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghosts 

Repentance  includes  the  confession  of  our  sins,  sor- 
row for  them,  and  turning  away  from  them. 

"  Repentance  implies  sorrow  for  sin  as  committed 
against  God  with  a  purpose  to  forsake  it.  It  is  not 
merely  a  fear  of  the  consequences,  nor  of  the  wrath 
of  God  in  hell ;  it  is  such  a  view  of  sin,  as  evil  in 
itself,  as  to  lead  the  mind  to  hate  it  and  forsake  it." 
— Barnes.  It  is  connected  with  conversion.  Acts, 
iii.,  19  ;  xxvi.,  20.  It  leads  to  faith,  Mark,  i.,  15  ; 
John,  xvi.,  9  ;  Acts,  xx.,  21  ;  2  Tim.,  ii.,  25.  It 
secures  forgiveness.  Matt.,  v.,  3  ;  Luke,  iii.,  3  ;  xv., 
7,  17-20  ;  xviii.,  13,  14  ;  xxiv.,  47;  Acts,  v.,  31 ; 
xi.,  18  ;  2  Cor.,  vii.,  10  ;  1  John,  i.,  9.  Those  who 
repent  of  ungodliness,  become  godly  ;  those  who  re- 
pent of  unbelief,  believe ;  those  who  repent  of  sin, 
obey  ;   and,  therefore,  the  repentant  are  forgiven.^ 

"  The  Jews  were  called  by  Peter  to  repent  first, 

*  Repent.  "  MeTavorjaare,  jLteravoio),  to  change  one's  opinion, 
to  repent ;  nerdvoLa,  a  change  of  mind  on  reflection,  repentance." 
^Liddell. 


100         BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

and  then  to  be  baptized.  His  language  was,  <  Firm- 
ly believe  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  and  submit  to  his 
grace  and  government ;  and  make  an  open,  solemn 
profession  of  this,  and  come  under  an  engagement  to 
abide  by  it  by  submitting  to  the  ordinance  of  bap- 
tism.' " — Henry. 

"  The  direction  which  Christ  gave  his  apostles 
was  that  they  should  baptize  all  who  believed,  Matt., 
xxviii.,  19;  Mark,  xvi.,  16.  The  Jews  had  not 
been  baptized,  and  a  baptism  now  would  be  a  pro- 
fession of  the  religion  of  Christ,  or  a  declaration 
made  before  the  world  that  they  embraced  Jesus  as 
their  Messiah.  It  was  equivalent  to  saying  that 
they  should  publicly  and  professedly  embrace  Jesus 
Christ  as  their  Savior.  The  Gospel  requires  such  a 
conviction,  and  no  one  is  at  liberty  to  withhold  it. 
And  a  similar  declaration  is  to  be  made  to  all  who 
are  inquiring  the  way  to  life.  They  are  to  exercise 
repentance,  and  then,  without  any  unnecessary  de- 
lay, to  evince  it  in  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel. 
If  men  are  unwilling  to  profess  religion,  they  have 
none  ;  if  they  will  not  in  the  proper  way  show  that 
they  are  truly  attached  to  Christ,  it  is  proof  that  they 
have  no  such  attachment.  .  .  .  He  who  comes  to  be 
baptized  comes  with  a  professed  conviction  that  he 
is  a  sinner,  that  there  is  no  other  way  of  mercy  but 
in  the  Gospel,  and  with  a  professed  willingness  to 
comply  with  the  terms  of  salvation,  and  receive  it  as 
it  is  offered  through  Jesus  Christ." — Barnes. 

Such  repentance,  then,  as  implies  faith  and  secures 
pardon  is  to  precede  baptism,  and  therefore  believers 
alone  ought  to  be  baptized. 

II.   The  Jews  were  here  exhorted  to  repent  and 


THE    NATURE   AND  EFFECTS  OP    BAPTISM.    101 

to  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins.  They  were 
not  to  expect  the  remission  of  their  sins  through  bap- 
tism without  previous  repentance,  nor  through  re- 
pentance without  baptism,  but  through  repentance 
and  baptism.  If  baptism  regenerates  the  person, 
then  how  could  a  previous  repentance  be  necessary  ? 
If  baptism  is  to  be  administered  to  all  serious  appli- 
cants, then  why  were  these  Jews  required  first  to 
repent  ?  And  why,  in  this  case,  is  remission  of  sins 
so  connected  with  baptism  ?  We  do  not  read  in  the 
word  of  God,  Repent  and  be  just,  Repent  and  give 
alms  for  the  remission  of  sins,  but  only,  "  Repent 
and  believe  ;"  "  Repent,  and  be  converted,  that  your 
sins  may  be  blotted  out,"  Mark,  i.,  5  ;  Acts,  iii.,  19. 
But  if  baptism  be  simply  a  profession  of  repentance 
and  faith,  then  the  expression,  "  Repent,  and  be 
baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins,"  is  equivalent  to 
<'  Repent  and  believe  for  the  remission  of  sins."  Re- 
mission of  sins  attends  baptism  simply  because  it  at- 
tends faith.  The  baptism  of  the  three  thousand  was 
an  act  of  saving  faith  in  them,  an  act  which  was 
necessary  to  salvation  (Matt.,  x.,  32  ;  Rom.,  x.,  9, 
10),  and  which  secured  it.  "It  is  not  enough  to 
believe  in  Christ,  but  we  must  also  profess  our  Chris- 
tianity, which  it  is  the  will  of  Christ  that  we  should 
do  by  baptism.  He  -who  does  these  things  is  assured 
of  the  remission  of  his  sins."*  Since,  then,  baptism 
is  thus  necessary  to  remission  of  sins,  and  is  so  closely 
connected  with  it  as  no  mere  acts  of  obedience  ever 

*  '*  Non  satis  est  Christo  credere,  sed  oportet  et  Christianis- 
mum  profiteri  (Rom.,  x.,  10),  quod  Christus  per  baptismum  fieri 
voluit.  Qui  haec  praestat  certus  fit  de  remissione  peccatorum." — 
Grotius. 


102         BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

are,  baptism  must  be  a  profession  of  faith,  and  none 
but  believers  ought  to  be  baptized. 

III.  Repentance  and  baptism  are  declared  in  the 
text  to  secure  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Holy 
Spirit  alone  gives  repentance  and  faith  (John,  i.,  12, 
13;  vi.,  44;  Acts,  ii.,  47;  xviii.,  27;  1  Cor.,  iii., 
5 ;  xii.,  3  ;  Gal.,  v.,  22  ;  Eph.,  ii.,  4,  5,  8  ;  James, 
i.,  18);  and  as  baptism  ought  to  follow  repentance, 
baptism  ought  to  follow  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit : 
but  here  larger  communications  of  grace  were  intend- 
ed, such  as  were  promised  by  Jesus  to  his  apostles 
before  his  death  (John,  xiv.,  16  ;  xvi.,  7),  and  to  all 
believers,  John,  vii.,  38,  39.  These  were  not  mi- 
raculous gifts  alone,  but  the  Spirit  himself,  with  all 
his  saving  influences  (1  Cor.,  vi.,  19;  Rom.,  viii., 
9),  for  it  was  the  gift  promised  to  all  the  elect  in  all 
the  world,  Acts,  ii.,  39;  Joel,  ii.,  28.  And  multi- 
tudes of  these  have  never  received  miraculous  gifts. 
This  gift  of  the  Spirit  enlightens  (2  Cor.,  iii.,  17), 
sanctifies  (Rom.,  v.,  5 ;  viii.,  1),  is  the  seal  of  a  be- 
liever's adoption  (Eph.,  i.,  13  ;  1  John,  iv.,  13  ;  Acts, 
XV.,  8  ;  Eph.,  iv.,  30  ;  2  Cor.,  i.,  22),  and  the  earn- 
est of  his  celestial  inheritance,  Eph.,  i.,  14  ;  2  Cor., 
v.,  5.  It  was  promised  by  the  Almighty  to  his 
Church  through  the  prophets  (Isa.,  lix.,  21  ;  Ezek., 
xxxvi.,  27) ;  and  it  is  hmited  to  believers,  John,  xiv., 
17;  Acts,  v.,  32;  Rom.,  viii.,  9  ;  Gal.,  iii.,  2;  Eph., 
i,,  13.  This  was  expressed  by  the  Apostle  Peter, 
who  limited  the  promise  to  "  the  called"  (Acts,  ii., 
39);  for  those  called  are  not  those  invited  by  the 
Gospel,  but  the  elect  of  God,  who  are  called  by  his 
grace,  Rom.,  i.,  6,  7  ;  viii.,  30;  1  Cor.,  i.,  24  ;  Eph., 
i.,  13;  Gal.,  iii.,  2;   2  Pet.,  i.,  10;   Jude,  1.      Yet, 


THE    NATURE   AND    EFFECTS   OF   BAPTISM.    103 

while  this  gift  is  limited  to  believers,  it  is  given  to  all 
who  are  rightly  baptized  ;  for  the  apostle  distinctly 
said  that  they  all  should  receive  it  if  they  repented 
and  were  baptized,  Acts,  ii.,  38.  And  the  baptized 
did  generally,  in  the  apostolic  era  of  the  Church,  re- 
ceive it  (Acts,  viii.,  17 ;  xix.,  6  ;  1  Cor.,  xii.,  7,  11 ; 
xiv.,  26;  Gal,  iii.,  2,  5;  Eph.,  i.,  13;  Heb.,  vi., 
4—9);  and  it  was  God's  testimony  to  them  (Acts, 
XV.,  8),  and  proved  their  repentance  to  life.  Acts,  xi., 
18.  But  as  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  limited  to 
believers,  and  yet  generally  followed  baptism  in  the 
time  of  the  apostles,  it  follows  that  none  except  pro- 
fessed believers,  and  few  except  real  believers,  were 
then  baptized.  On  the  whole,  this  text  declares  that 
believers  alone  ought  to  be  baptized  :  1 .  Because  it 
demands  a  change  of  heart  and  life  before  baptism  ; 
2.  Because  it  connects  baptism  with  the  remission 
of  sins  ;  3.  Because  it  declares  that  repentance  and 
baptism  secure  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Acts,  xxii.,  16. — ''And  now  ivhy  tarriest  thou? 
Arise,  and  be  hai^tized,  and  icash  away  thy  sins, 
calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord.'' 

Paul  was  at  this  time  deeply  convinced  of  sin; 
his  pride  and  self  will  completely  subdued  (Acts,  ix., 
6),  he  continually  cried  to  God  for  mercy  (Acts,  ix., 
11);  but  he  now  felt  that  the  law  sentenced  him  to 
death  (Pv-om.,  vii.,  9,  10),  and  was  so  agitated  that 
for  three  days  he  could  neither  eat  nor  drink,  Acts, 
ix.,  9.  To  him,  thus  oppressed  with  guilt,  Ananias, 
who  was  sent  by  Jesus,  used  the  words  of  the  text, 
in  which  he  exhorted  him  to  do  two  things  at  once, 
to  call  on  the  name  of  Jesus  and  to  be  baptized,  upon 


104        BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS, 

which  his  guilt  would  be  washed  away.  1 .  By  the 
Lord,  Ananias  meant  Jesus.  See  verses  10,19,21; 
ix.,  6,  10,  11,  15,  17;  Rom.,  xiv.,  6-9,  &c.  To 
call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  is  to  pray  to  him  as 
God,  Gen.,  iv.,  26;  1  Kings,  xviii.,  24;  2  Kings, 
v.,  1 1 ;  Psalm  cxvi.,  17  ;  Acts,  vii.,  59.  It  is  there- 
fore to  come  to  him  in  faith  ;  and  it  is  connected  with 
salvation,  Joel,  ii.,  32  ;  Rom.,  x.,  12,  13  ;  John,  vi., 
39;  Matt.,  xi.,  28.  All  who  truly  call  upon  him 
are  his  disciples,  Acts,  ix.,  14,  21 ;  1  Cor.,  i.,  2;  2 
Tim.,  ii.,  22.  And  when  Ananias  exhorted  Paul  to 
call  upon  the  name  of  Jesus,  he  exhorted  him  to  ex- 
ercise faith  in  him.  2.  He  exhorted  him  to  be  bap- 
tized, in  presence  doubtless  of  the  household,  as  a 
public  profession  of  his  faith  ;  upon  which  two  things, 
the  exercise  of  faith  and  the  profession  of  it  by  bap- 
tism, his  sins  would  be  washed  away.  "  Baptism  ad- 
ministered to  real  penitents  was  intended  to  be  both 
a  mean  and  a  seal  of  pardon  ;  nor  did  God  ordinari- 
ly, in  the  primitive  Church,  bestow  this  on  any  person 
till  he  submitted  to  baptism." — Benson.  "  The  re- 
mission of  sins  is  promised  to  faith,  and  to  the  profes- 
sion of  faith  by  baptism,  conjoined,  Mark,  xvi.,  16." — 
Grotius.  "As  washing  causeth  the  spots  to  disap- 
pear, so  does  pardoning  mercy,  or  remission  of  sins, 
which  accompanieth  baptism  in  the  due  receiver. 
Matt.,  iii.,  11;  1  Pet.,  iii.,  21,  22.  Where  true 
faith  is,  together  with  the  profession  of  it  by  baptism, 
there  is  salvation  promised." — Poole.  This  truth 
is  expressed  alike  by  this  text,  by  Mark,  xvi.,  16,  by 
Acts,  ii.,  38,  and  by  John,  iii.,  5,  for  all  declare  that 
men  are  saved  by  faith  manifested  in  the  confession 
of  Christ,  and  can  not  be  saved  without  it.     And  it 


THE  NATURE    AND   EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.     105 

follows  equally  from  each  of  them  that  none  but  be- 
lievers can  properly  be  baptized. 

Rom.,  vi.,  3—6. — "  Knoiv  ye  not,  that  so  inany 
of  us  as  were  baptized  unto  Jesus  Christ  were  bap- 
tized into  his  death  ?  Therefoi-e  ive  are  buried 
with  hirn  by  baptism  into  death :  that  like  as 
Christ  ivas  raised  up  from  the  dead  by  the  gloi-y 
of  the  Father,  even  so  ive  also  shoidd  ivalk  in  new- 
ness of  life.  For  if  ive  have  been  planted  together 
in  the  likeness  of  his  death,  we  shall  be  also  in  the 
likeness  of  his  resurrection  :  knoiving  this,  tliat  our 
old  man  is  crucified  tvith  him,  that  the  bodij  of  si?i 
might  be  destroyed,  that  henceforth  tve  should  not 
serve  sin.''' 

*'  Know  ye  not  that  when  men  are  baptized,  they 
are  by  vow,  covenant,  and  profession  listed  into  the 
belief  of  a  crucified  Savior,  who  died  for  sin  to  save 
us  from  it ;  and  do  profess  that  repentance  by  which 
we  renounce  it,  as  dead  to  it  for  the  time  to  come  ? 
Therefore  in  our  baptism  we  are  dipped  under  the 
water,  as  signifying  our  covenant  profession  ;  that 
as  he  was  buried  for  sin,  we  are  dead  and  buried  to 
sin ;  that  as  the  glorious  power  of  God  raised  him 
from  the  dead,  so  we  should  rise  up  to  live  to  him 
in  newness  and  holiness  of  life." — Baxter. 

"■  All  who  had  been  baptized  unto  the  name  and 
religion  of  Jesus  had  received  the  sign  and  made  the 
profession  of  communion  with  him,  and  conformity 
to  him  in  his  death,  that  in  virtue  of  his  dying  for 
their  sins,  they  should  die  to  all  sin.  This  profes- 
sion was  equivalent  to  being  buried  with  Christ,  as 
dead  with  him.      The  baptism  of  a  converted  Jew 


106         BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

or  Gentile  was  a  professed  manifestation  of  his  death 
to  sin,  and  it  was  a  professed  introduction  to  his 
walking  in  newness  of  life." — Scott. 

"  We,  by  being  baptized  into  his  death,  are  con- 
ceived to  have  made  a  similar  translation  ;  in  the 
act  of  descending  under  the  water  of  baptism  to 
have  resigned  an  old  life,  and  in  the  act  of  ascending 
to  emerge  into  a  second,  or  new  life." — CJialmers. 

"  The  act  of  baptism  denotes  dedication  to  the 
service  of  him  in  whose  name  we  are  baptized.  One 
of  its  designs  is  to  dedicate  or  consecrate  us  to  the 
service  of  Christ.  Thus  (1  Cor.,  x.,  2)  the  Israel- 
ites are  said  to  have  been  baptized  unto  Moses,  i.  e., 
they  became  consecrated,  or  dedicated,  or  bound  to 
him  as  their  leader  and  law-giver.  In  the  place 
before  us,  the  argument  of  the  apostle  is  evidently 
drawn  from  the  supposition  that  we  have  been  sol- 
emnly consecrated  by  baptism  to  the  service  of 
Christ.  By  the  solemn  profession  made  at  our  bap- 
tism we  had  become  dead  to  sin,  as  Christ  was  dead 
to  the  living  world  around  him  when  he  was  buried ; 
as  he  rose  from  death,  so  we,  being  made  dead  to 
sin  and  the  world  by  that  religion  whose  profession 
is  expressed  by  baptism,  should  rise  to  a  new  life,  a 
life  of  holiness." — Barnes. 

"To  be  baptized  unto  Christ  {in  Christum),  is 
beyond  doubt  to  be  baptized  unto  this,  that  each 
should  profess  his  communion  with  Christ  ;  that 
each  by  that  baptism,  as  by  a  sign  and  testimony, 
should  avow  that  he  had  believed  in  Christ." — Vi- 
tringa,  Obs.  Sac,  iii.,  22,  822. 

"  The  sense  is  ...  as  many  of  us  as  have  been 
devoted  to  Christ  by  baptism." — Stuart. 


THE  NATURE  AND  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.      107 

"  As  the  mean  by  which  a  union  takes  place  with 
Christ  is  faith,  and  the  mean  of  professing  that  faith, 
of  seaHng  our  union  with  Christ,  is  baptism,  Paul 
employs  the  expression,  '  to  be  baptized  unto  Christ,^ 
as  equivalent  to  this,  '  to  be  united  to  Christ.''  To 
be  baptized  unto  Christ  in  the  style  of  Paul  does 
not  designate  a  simple  external  profession  of  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Gospel,  but  the  act  of  heart  by  which 
one  accepts  that  religion,  an  act  of  which  submission 
to  the  rite  of  baptism  was  the  public  and  ordained 
expression.  In  all  this  passage,  as  in  Gal.,  iii.,  27, 
baptism  is  taken  for  the  acceptance  of  Christ,  an  act 
of  which  that  ceremony  was  the  prescribed  profes- 
sion.' ' — Hodge ,  French  Translation . 

From  this  passage  it  is  plain  that  believers  alone 
ought  to  be  baptized  :  1 .  Because  the  baptized  are 
said  to  be  consecrated  to  Christ  by  baptism,  which 
is  true  of  none  but  believers.  2.  Because  the  bap- 
tized die  to  sin  and  rise  to  a  new  life,  which  none 
do  but  true  believers.  As  the  baptized  are  said  to 
die  and  to  rise  again,  the  passage  can  not  mean  that 
baptism  is  merely  emblematic  of  what  they  ought  to 
do.  Its  expressing  what  they  ought  to  do  would 
not  prove  that  they  did  it.  Either,  then,  the  bap- 
tized persons  really  died  and  rose  again  in  a  spiritual 
sense  in  baptism,  and  then  they  were  real  believers, 
or  else  they  died  and  rose  again  professedly,  and 
then  they  were  professed  believers.  Either  sense 
proves  that,  according  to  this  text,  none  but  true 
believers  ought  to  offer  themselves  for  baptism,  and 
none  but  those  who  make  a  credible  profession  of 
faith  ought  to  be  recaved  to  baptism. 


108    BAPTISM  TO  NONE  BUT  BELIEVERS. 

Gal.,  iii.,  26,  27. — "  Ye  are  all  the  children  of 
God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  For  as  many  of 
you  as  have  been  baptized  unto  Christ  have  put 
on  Christy 

"  To  put  on  Christ"  is  to  be  clothed,  as  it  were, 
ill  Christ,  to  have  Christ  alone  seen  in  us,  and  it 
includes  two  things  :  1.  To  imitate  the  example  of 
Christ,  E-om.,  xiii.,  14;  Eph.,  iv.,  24;  vi.,  11; 
Col.,  iii.,  10,  12  ;  1  Pet.,  v.,  5.  2.  To  trust  in 
the  righteousness  of  Christ,  which  is  to  be,  as  it 
were,  clothed  in  his  righteousness,  to  receive  the 
wedding  garment  (Matt.,  xxii.,  1  ] ),  the  white  robes 
of  the  redeemed.  Rev.,  vii.,  9,  14.  It  is  to  receive 
Christ  as  our  righteousness  (1  Cor.,  i.,  30),  and  to 
"  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him,"  2  Cor., 
v.,  21.  "To  put  on  Christ  may  be  understood 
legally  and  evangelically.  Legally  :  Rom.,  xiii.  : 
'  Put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,'  i.  e.,  imitate  the 
example  and  the  virtues  of  Christ.  But  to  put  on 
Christ  evangelically  is  not  a  matter  of  imitation,  but 
of  a  new  birth  and  creation.  To  put  on  Christ 
evangelically  is  not  to  put  on  the  law  and  works, 
but  an  inestimable  gift,  namely,  the  remission  of 
sins,  righteousness,  peace,  consolation,  joy  in  the 
Holy  Spirit,  salvation,  life,  and  Christ  himself" — 
Luther. 

"  He  uses  the  similitude  of  a  robe  when  he  says 
that  the  Galatians  had  put  on  Christ ;  but  he  means 
that  they  were  so  grafted  into  Christ,  that  before 
God  they  bore  the  name  and  person  of  Christ,  and 
were  more  reckoned  in  him  than  in  themselves." — 
Cahin. 


THE  NATURE  AND  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.      109 

*«  God  now  looking  on  them,  there  appears  noth- 
ing but  Christ.  They  are,  as  it  were,  covered  all 
over  with  him,  as  a  man  is  with  the  clothes  that 
he  has  put  on." — Locke. 

All  those  who  have  been  rightly  baptized  have 
thus  put  on  Christ.  "  The  old  man  is  to  be  put  off 
with  his  deeds  (Eph,,  iv.  ;  Col.,  iii.),  that,  being  the 
sons  of  Adam,  we  may  become  the  sons  of  God. 
This  is  not  done  by  a  change  of  dress,  by  any  law 
or  works,  but  by  the  new  birth,  and  the  renovation 
which  takes  place  in  baptism.  In  baptism  there  is 
not  given  a  legal  clothing  of  righteousness  or  of  our 
works,  but  Christ  becomes  our  clothing." — Luther. 

'*  "When  Paul  addresses  believers  who  rightly  use 
the  signs,  he  joins  them  with  the  truth  which  they 
represent.  Not,  therefore,  without  reason,  when  he 
addresses  believers,  does  he  say,  that  they  in  baptism 
had  put  on  Christ." — Calvin. 

"  All  of  you  that  are  sincere  believers  are  taken 
into  the  family  of  God  as  his  adopted  children  by 
Christ,  whom  you  believe  in.  For  as  many  of  you 
as  have  sincerely  consented  to  the  baptismal  cove- 
nant, and  so  been  baptized  into  the  faith  of  Christ, 
have  thereby  even  put  him  on  as  your  garment,  and 
wholly  given  up  yourselves  to  him,  and  so,  as  his 
members,  are  united  to  him.  All  that  are  baptized 
have  professed  this,  which  the  sincere  perform." — 
Baxter. 

"  For  so  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized  unto 
Christ,  and  so  have  taken  upon  you  the  solemn  pro- 
fession of  his  religion,  may  then  be  said  to  have  put 
on  Christ,  to  be  clothed  with  his  character,  and  cov- 
ered with  his  righteousness." — Doddridge. 


110         BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

'<  As  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into 
Christ,  in  consequence  of  your  believing  in  him  w^ith 
your  heart  unto  righteousness,  and  have  thereby  test- 
ified and  professed  your  faith  in  him,  have  put  on 
Christ,  have  received  him  as  your  righteousness  and 
sanctification. " — Benson. 

Thus,  according  to  St.  Paul,  all  baptized  persons 
have  put  on  Christ,  i.  e.,  are  justified  through  him. 
But  sinners  are  justified  by  faith  alone  (Rom.,  iii., 
20—28) ;  and  the  righteousness  of  Christ  is  put  on 
none  but  believers  and  saints,  Rom.,  iii.,  22  ;  ix., 
30  ;  Rev.,  xix.,  8.  Since,  then,  all  persons  right- 
ly baptized  are  justified,  and  yet  none  but  believers 
can  be  justified,  it  folio w^s  that  all  persons  rightly 
baptized  must  be  believers  ;  in  other  words,  that  be- 
lievers alone  ought  to  be  baptized. 

The  same  truth  appears  from  a  comparison  of 
the  27th  verse  with  the  26th.  "  Indeed,  the  con- 
nection of  the  27th  verse  with  that  which  precedes, 
shows  that  the  faith  in  Christ  which  was  publicly 
professed  in  baptism,  and  not  the  mere  outward  ad- 
ministration (whether  the  baptized  person  had  faith 
or  not)  was  specially  intended." — Scott. 

The  Galatians  were  the  children  of  God  hy  faith 
(26),  because  all  baptized  persons  have  put  on  Christ, 
i.  e.,  are  justified  and  adopted  (27).  If  we  assume 
that  baptism  was  administered  indiscriminately  to 
all  applicants,  and  was  no  profession  of  faith,  then 
the  argument  would  be  this  :  "  You  are  the  children 
of  God  by  faith ;  because  baptized  persons  put  on 
Christ,  and  those  who  put  on  Christ  are  his  chil- 
dren, therefore  baptized  persons  without  faith  are  his 
children  :  you  arc  therefore  his  children  bij  faith, 


THE  NATURE  AND  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.      Ill 

because  you  are  his  children  tvithout faith''  which 
is  absurd.  But  if  we  assume  that  baptism  is  an  act 
of  faith,  then  the  argument  is  sound  :  "Ye  are  the 
children  of  God  by  faith  ;  because  all  who  are  bap- 
tized in  faith  put  on  Christ,  and  those  who  put  on 
Christ  are  children  of  God  :  as,  then,  you  have  been 
baptized  by  faith,  you  have  put  on  Christ  by  faith, 
and  have  become  the  children  of  God  by  faith." 
Hence  baptism  is  an  act  of  faith  according  to  this 
text ;  and  believers  alone  ought,  therefore,  to  be 
baptized. 

Col.,  ii.,  11,  12. — ^'  Inwhmnalso  ye  are  circum- 
cised with  the  circumcision  inade  ivithout  hands  in 
putting  off  the  body  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh  by  the 
circumcision  of  Christ :  buried  ivith  him  in  bap- 
tism, ivherein  also  ye  are  risen  with  him  through 
the  faith  of  the  operation  of  God  who  hath  raised 
him  from  the  deaclT 

As  persons,  rightly  baptized,  are  buried  with 
Christ  to  sin  by  a  faith  which  God  has  wrought  in 
them,  and  are  risen  with  Christ  to  a  new  life  by  the 
same  faith,  it  is  plain  that  no  persons  but  behevers 
ought  to  be  candidates  for  baptism,  because  no  oth- 
ers so  die  and  rise  again  by  faith ;  and  no  persons 
but  those  who  make  a  credible  profession  of  such 
faith  ought  to  be  received  to  baptism. 

Titus,  iii.,  5. — "  Not  by  works  of  righteousness 
tvhich  we  have  done,  but  according  to  his  mercy  he 
saved  us,  by  the  tvashing  of  regeneration  and  re- 
newing of  the  Holy  Ghost'' 

As  "■  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  means  the 


112        BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

renewing  by  him,  so  "  the  washing  of  regeneration" 
might  mean  the  washing  by  regeneration.  Had 
this  been  his  meaning,  he  would  have  used  these, 
terms  with  an  allusion  to  baptism.  Why  else  em- 
ploy the  periphrasis,  when  the  single  word  '<  regen- 
eration" would  have  expressed  his  meaning  better  ? 
The  expression,  "  God  saves  us  by  regeneration," 
would  have  been  fully  as  forcible  as  the  expression, 
"  God  saves  us  by  the  washing  of  regeneration." 
He  evidently  used  this  unusual  expression  with  ref- 
erence to  the  baptism  of  converts,  and  thus  alludes 
to  baptism  as  the  sign  of  regeneration. 

But  there  is  reason  to  think  that  by  ''  the  wash- 
ing of  regeneration"  the  apostle  means  not  the  re- 
generation which  washes,  but  the  washing  which  is 
connected  with  regeneration.  It  is  so  understood  by 
Calvin,  Beza,  Grotius,  Whitby,  Macknight,  Bengel, 
Bloomfield,  Slade,  and  others.  The  genitive  is  often 
used  thus  by  Paul  and  other  New  Testament  writers 
to  express  the  effect  wrought  by  any  person  or  thing. 
Thus  we  read  of  the  God  of  grace,  of  hope,  of  love 
and  peace  (1  Pet.,  v.,  10  ;  Rom,,  xv.,  13  ;  2  Cor., 
xiii.,  11),  because  God  gives  grace,  hope,  love,  and 
peace.  "  The  spirit  of  divination"  (Acts,  xvi.,  16) 
means  the  spirit  enabling  to  divine.  "  The  spirit  of 
wisdom"  (Eph.,  i.,  17)  means  the  spirit  which  makes 
wise.  "  The  blood  of  sprinkling"  (Heb.,  xii.,  24)  is 
the  blood  which  sprinkles.  *'  The  Gospel  of  peace" 
(Rom.,  X.,  15  ;  Eph.,  vi.,  15)  is  the  Gospel  which 
gives  peace.  "  The  word  of  reconciliation"  (2  Cor., 
v.,  18)  is  the  word  which  reconciles.  "  The  Gos- 
pel of  salvation"  (Eph.,  i.,  13)  is  the  Gospel  which 
saves.      <*  The  baptism  of  repentance"  (Luke,  iii.,  3) 


THE  NATURE  AND  EFFECTS   OF  BAPTISM.      113 

is  the  baptism  which  was  the  sign  of  repentance  ; 
and  so  "  the  washing  of  regeneration"  is  the  wash- 
ing which  is  the  sign  of  regeneration.  "  Baptism," 
says  Calvin,  "  is  suitably  and  truly  called  *  the  bath 
of  regeneration.'  Here  Paul  addresses  believers,  in 
whom,  because  baptism  is  always  efficacious,  it  is 
j)roperly  joined  with  its  true  meaning  and  effect." 
The  Spirit  effects  a  moral  change,  and  baptism  is 
the  sign  of  it.  The  Spirit  imparts  new  life,  and 
baptism  manifests  it ;  and  both  complete  the  new 
birth.  As  a  child  first  lives  and  then  comes  into 
the  world,  and  thus  is  born,  his  entrance  into  the 
world  not  giving  life,  but  manifesting  it,  so  the  child 
of  God  receives  life  and  then  is  baptized,  and  thus  is 
new  born,  his  baptism  not  giving  spiritual  life,  but 
manifesting  it ;  and  therefore  baptism  is  the  wash- 
ing of  regeneration,  or  the  washing  which  is  the 
manifestation  and  completion  of  regeneration. 

By  these  two  things,  the  washing  and  the  renew- 
ing, the  spiritual  renovation  and  the  baptism  which 
manifests  it,  God  saves  his  people.  All  the  passages 
respecting  baptism  are  exactly  in  harmony  in  this 
matter.  According  to  Matt.,  xxviii.,  a  man  must 
become  a  disciple,  and  then  be  baptized,  Mark,  xvi., 
declares,  that  he  who  believes  and  is  baptized  shall 
be  saved.  John,  iii.,  5,  declares,  that  no  one  can 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  that  is,  be  saved,  un- 
less he  is  new  born  by  the  Holy  Spirit  and  by  bap- 
tism. Acts,  ii.,  declares,  that  those  who  repent  and 
are  baptized  receive  the  remission  of  their  sins  with 
the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  and  are  thus  saved.  Acts,  xxii., 
declares,  that  if  a  man  calls  on  the  Lord  Jesus  for 
salvation,  or  comes  to  him  in  faith,  and  is  baptized, 
H 


114   BAPTISM  TO  NONE  BUT  BELIEVERS. 

his  sins  are  washed  away,  and  he  is  therefore  saved. 
Rom.,  vi.,  and  Col.,  ii.,  declare,  that  when  a  man  is 
baptized  he  dies  to  sin,  and  rises  to  a  new  life  by 
faith,  and  is  therefore  saved.  Gal.,  iii.,  declares,  that 
all  who  are  baptized  put  on  Christ,  become  the  chil- 
dren of  God,  and  are  therefore  saved  ;  and  thus  the 
text  under  consideration  declares  that  believers  are 
saved  by  the  renewing  of  the  Spirit  and  by  baptism. 
But  if  baptism  be  the  sign  of  regeneration,  an  unre- 
generate  person  ought  not  to  be  baptized.  If  the 
rite  is  a  public  manifestation  of  spiritual  life,  it 
should  be  withheld  from  those  who  afford  no  tokens 
of  that  life.  If  baptism  is  the  washing  of  regenera- 
tion, it  ought  not  to  be  administered  to  the  unregen- 
erate.  To  suppose  that  "God's  Spirit  again  moves 
on  the  face  of  the  waters,  and  sanctifies  them  for  our 
cleansing,  and  cleanses  us  thereby"  (Tract  67),  is 
wholly  at  variance  with  the  word  of  God  (John,  i., 
12,13;  Gal.,  iii.,  26;  James,  i.,  18;  1  Pet.,  i.,  23), 
is  contrary  to  facts,  and  grossly  superstitious  ;  and 
since  the  water  can  not  give  spiritual  life,  and  yet 
manifests  it,  it  must  be  preceded  by  it.  Baptism 
can  not  be  the  baptism  of  regeneration  except  with 
respect  to  those  who  are  previously  regenerate  ;  and 
as  Christian  baptism  is  the  baptism  of  regeneration, 
according  to  the  text,  regenerate  believers  alone 
ought  to  be  baptized. 

1  Pet.,  iii.,  20,  21.  —  ''The  long-suffering  of 
God  tvaited  in  the  days  of  Noah,  lohile  the  ark 
was  2^reparing,  ivherein  feiv,  that  is,  eight  souls, 
were  brought  safely  through  the  water. ^    The  an- 

*  Were  brought,  &c.,  6ieaudi]aav  i)C  vdaror.     So  the  word  is 


THE    NATURE    AND    EFFECTS    OF    BAPTISM.    115 

titype  whereunto,*  even  baptism,  doth  also  noio 
save  us,  not  the  putting  atvay  of  the  filth  of  the 
flesh,  hut  the  inquiry  after  God  of  a  good  con- 
science,\  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ.'^ 

This  passage  clearly  shows  that  none  but  believers 
have  a  right  to  baptism. 

1.  Baptism  is  here  said  to  be  the  antitype,  or  the 
fact  corresponding,  to  Noah's  entrance  into  the  ark. 
As  then  the  vengeance  of  God  brought  a  flood  upon 
the  earth,  so  a  flood  of  divine  wrath  is  now  about  to 
overwhelm  the  ungodly.  As  the  ark  was  divinely 
appointed  as  a  refuge  for  Noah  and  his  family,  so 
Christ  is  the  divinely  appointed  refuge  for  behevers, 
Isa.,  xxxii.,  2,  As  Noah  entered  into  the  ark,  so 
believers  take  refuge  in  the  merit  and  mediation  of 
Christ  by  faith ;  but  as  they  are  here  said  to  take 
refuge  in  Christ  by  baptism,  baptism  must  necessa- 
rily be  an  act  of  faith.      All  who  are  in  Christ  are 

translated,  Acts,  xxiv.,  2-1.  "Were  safely  conveyed  through  the 
water." — Macknight.  "  Through  the  water  :  when  they  were  on 
the  waters;  did,  for  kv,  as  Rom.,  iv.,  11." — Grotius.  "Through 
the  flood— mediis  in  aquis." — Slade. 

*  The  antitype  to  which,  u  avTLTViTOV.  "  'k.vrlTV7tog,  formed 
after,  copied,  Ijo)  avrirvnov,  a  copy." — Liddell.  "  'AvTCTvna, 
copies,  Heb.,  ix.,  24 ;  uvTlrvTvog,  corresponding,  antitypical." — 
Robinson. 

t  The  inquiry,  &c.,  awetd'^Gecog  ayadiig  ETrepcJTTjfxa  slg  Qeov. 
"  ^E7repcjTT}fj.a,  an  inquiry  ;  kTcepdoTau,  to  consult,  to  inquire  of 
{to  xPVty'Vpi'Ov,  rbv  Qebv)"  —  Liddell.  " 'ETTfpwraw,  to  ask.; 
Matt.,  xii.,  10 ;  xvii.,  10 ;  Luke,  xi.,  46 ;  John,  xviii.,  7 ;  Acts,  i.,  6, 
&c.,  &c.  In  the  Septuagint,  to  ask,  Josh.,  ix.,  14 ;  Isa.,  xxx.,  2. 
To  inquire,  1  Kings,  xxii.,  7,  8 ;  Jer.,  xxi.,  2.  To  ask  after  God, 
Isa.,  Ixv.,  1.  So  Rom.,  x.,  20.  '  I  was  made  manifest,  role  ^M^ 
ni]  ^nepuTUGt,  to  those  that  asked  not  after  me.'  Hence,  etteputtj- 
fia  Etc  Qeov  is '  an  inquiry  after  God.'  " — Bretschneider  in  Robinson. 
"  A  petition  to  God."— Steiger. 


116  BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

believers  (Rom.,xii.,  5 ;  xvi.,  7  ;  1  Cor.,iii.,  1 ;  2  Cor., 
v.,  17 ;  xii.,  2  ;  Gal,,  i.,  22,  &c.) ;  but  all  sincerely 
baptized  are  in  Christ,  as  Noah  was  in  the  ark  ;  and 
therefore  sincere  baptism  is  an  act  of  faith. 

2.  It  is  said  here  that  baptism  saves  us.  But  we 
are  saved  by  grace  through  faith  (John,  iii.,  1 6  ;  Acts, 
xvi.,  31 ;  1  Cor.,  i.,  22;  Eph.,  ii.,  8),  and  without 
faith  there  is  no  salvation,  John,  iii.,  36  ;  Mark,  xvi., 
1 6  ;  Heb.,  xi.,  6.  Baptism,  therefore,  without  faith, 
can  not  save  us  ;  but  as  the  statement  of  the  apostle 
is  absolute  that  baptism  does  save  us,  it  follows  that 
baptism  implies  faith,  is  an  act  of  faith,  and  may  be 
put  for  faith  itself. 

3.  It  is  here  added,  that  the  baptism  which  saves 
us  is  not  the  external  rite  merely,  but  that  which  is 
signified  by  it,  "  the  inquiry  after  God  of  a  good 
conscience."  Baptism,  then,  is  the  seeking  after 
God  with  a  conscience  set  free  from  the  guilt  of  sin 
(Heb.,  ix,,  14  ;  x.,  22),  and  a  mind  conscious  of 
habitual  rectitude  and  sincerity.  Acts,  xxiii.,  1 ;  xxiv., 
16;  Rom.,  ix.,  1;  1  Cor.,  iv.,  4;  2  Cor.,  i.,  12; 
1  Tim.,  i.,  5,  19  ;  iii.,  9  ;  Tit.,  i.,  15  ;  Heb.,  xiii., 
18  ;  1  Pet.,  iii.,  16.  But  no  one  except  a  believer 
can  so  seek  after  God.  Faith  only  can  free  the 
conscience  from  guilt,  faith  only  can  purify  the  heart 
(Acts,  XV.,  9)  ;  and,  therefore,  no  one  but  a  believer 
has  a  good  conscience  in  either  sense.  And  if  bap- 
tism is  the  seeking  after  God  with  a  good  conscience, 
baptism  must  be  an  act  of  faith ;  and  so  it  is  under- 
stood by  the  best  writers. 

"  Baptism,  and  the  sincere  profession  of  religion 
conjoined  with  it,  preserves  us  from  perdition." — 
Rosenmiiller  in  BloomJiclcV s  Digest 


THE    NATURE    AND    EFFECTS    OF    BAPTISM.     117 

"  The  best  translation  appears  to  be,  1.  The  peti- 
tion of  a  good  conscience,  and  then  it  notes  the  ef- 
fect of  baptism,  viz.,  that  holy  confidence  and  secu- 
rity wherewith  a  conscience  sprinkled  with  the  blood 
of  Christ  addresses  itself  to  God  in  prayer  as  a  Fa- 
ther."— Poole. 

"  Baptism,  including  all  that  is  properly  meant 
by  baptism  as  a  religious  rite,  that  is,  baptism  ad- 
ministered in  connection  with  true  repentance  and 
true  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  when  it  is  proper- 
ly a  symbol  of  putting  away  of  sin,  and  of  the  re- 
newing influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  an  act  of 
unreserved  dedication  to  God,  now  saves  us.  No 
man  can  be  saved  without  that  regenerated  and  pu- 
rified heart  of  which  baptism  is  the  appropriate  sym- 
bol."— Barnes. 

<«  The  godly  ask,  consult,  and  address  God  with 
confidence  ;  the  ungodly  not.  Therefore,  the  appeal 
of  a  good  conscience,  i.  e.,  the  appeal  wherein  we 
address  God  with  a  good  conscience,  our  sins  being 
both  pardoned  and  renounced,  saves.  This  appeal 
is  made  in  baptism.  "*= — Bengel. 

Since  this  is  the  nature  of  true  baptism,  it  must 
be  an  act  of  faith ;  for  believers  alone  have  a  good 
conscience  :  to  seek  God  with  a  good  conscience  is 
to  exercise  faith  in  him ;  baptism,  therefore,  is  an 
exercise  of  faith,  and  believers  alone  can  properly 
apply  for  it. 

*  "  Non  dubium  est  quin  Hebraicum  TlSi^li'j  spectaret  aposto- 
lus  Piorum  est  rogare,  consulere,  compellare  cum  fiducid 

Deum.  At  impiorum  non  rogare  ilium,  aut  idola  rogare.  Salvat 
ergo  nos  rogatio  bonae  conscientiae,  i.  e,,  rogatio  qu§.  nos  Deum 
corapellamus  cum  bon&  conscienti^,  peccatis  remissis  et  depositis, 
16,  Heb.,  X.,  22.    Haec  rogatio  in  baptismo  datur." — Bcngel. 


118    BAPTISM  TO  NONE  BUT  BELIEVERS. 

If  we  recur  to  the  passages  which  have  been  ex- 
amined, we  may  see  what  abundant  and  varied  evi- 
dence they  afford  that  baptism  is  an  act  of  faith, 
must  be  preceded  by  faith,  and  is  a  duty  which  none 
but  beUevers  can  rightly  fulfill. 

Baptism  is  a  consecration  to  the  Triune  God, 
Matt.,  xxviii.,  19;  and  specially  to  Christ,  Rom., 
vi.,  3. 

It  is  a  seeking  after  God  with  a  good  conscience, 
1  Peter,  iii.,  20. 

It  must  be  preceded  by  true  repentance.  Acts, 
ii.,  38. 

It  is  the  sign,  manifestation,  and  completion  of 
regeneration,  John,  iii.,  5  ;   Tit.,  iii.,  5. 

It  is  a  death  unto  sin  and  a  new  life  of  holiness, 
Rom.,  vi.,  3-6  ;   Col.,  ii.,  11,  12. 

Those  rightly  baptized  are  in  Christ,  1  Pet.,  iii.,  20. 

Those  rightly  baptized  have  put  on  Christ,  Gal., 
iii.,  26. 

True  baptism  secures  pardon,  Acts,  ii.,  38 ;  xxii., 
16. 

True  baptism  secures  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  Acts, 
ii.,  38. 

Baptism  is  generally  necessary  to  salvation,  John, 
iii.,  5. 

True  baptism  saves,  1  Pet.,  iii.,  20  ;  Mark,  xvi., 
16;  Tit.,  iii.,  5. 

Each  one  of  these  statements  is  a  distinct  and  con- 
clusive proof  that  baptism  must  be  preceded  by  faith ; 
each  by  itself  is  sufficient  to  prove  that  believers 
alone  should  be  baptized  ;  and  when  they  are  all 
combined,  the  accumulated  evidence  is  such  that  it 
is  difficult  to  understand  how  any  one  who  is  guided 


THE  NATURE  AND  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM,       119 

in  his  religious  opinions  by  the  word  of  God  can  ar- 
rive at  any  other  conchision. 

To  the  proofs  that  baptism  impHes  faith  which  are 
afibrded  by  the  spiritual  effects  ascribed  to  baptism, 
let  me  add  the  proof  afforded  by  its  external  conse- 
quences. If  baptism  in  the  apostolic  age  was  a  pro- 
fession of  faith,  baptized  persons  would  naturally  be 
reckoned  members  of  the  Christian  churches  in  con- 
nection with  which  they  were  baptized  ;  but  if  bap- 
tism were  nothing  but  the  exhibition  of  certain  spir- 
itual truths,  a  symbol  administered  to  all  who  seri- 
ously desired  it,  then  baptized  persons  would  not  be- 
come by  the  act  of  their  baptism  members  of  the 
churches  in  connection  with  which  they  were  bap- 
tized, but  would  be  admitted  subsequently  upon  their 
profession  of  faith.  Now  this  latter  case  never  hap- 
pened. The  baptized  person  was  admitted  at  once 
to  communion  with  the  Church  in  connection  with 
which  he  was  baptized  ;  and  there  is  no  instance  of 
the  contrary.  If  a  man  was  baptized  when  there 
was  no  Church,  he  could  not  join  what  did  not  exist. 
Such  was  the  situation  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch. 
But  immediately  that  the  three  thousand  were  bap- 
tized on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  they  became  church 
members,  and  were  admitted  to  the  table  of  the 
Lord  ;  for  we  read  that  "  they  continued  steadfastly 
in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in  break- 
ing of  bread  and  in  prayers,"  Acts,  ii,,  42. 

At  Samaria,  Corinth,  and  other  places,  the  bap- 
tized at  once  formed  the  Church,  Acts,  viii.,  xviii.  ; 
and,  therefore,  when  disciples  died,  and  the  ranks  of 
the  Christian  army  were  broken,  new  converts  were 
"  baptized  for  the  dead,"  1  Cor.,  xv.,  29.     They  be- 


120  BAPTISM  TO  NONE  BUT  BELIEVERS. 

came  at  once  disciples  and  soldiers  of  Christ  in  place 
of  the  dead. 

Let  the  reader  consider  well  the  force  of  this  evi- 
dence. Since  baptism  is  the  seal  of  regeneration, 
none  but  the  regenerate  ought  to  be  baptized ;  since 
it  is  the  sign  of  justification,  it  should  be  administer- 
ed to  those  only  who  are  justified  ;  since  it  was  at- 
tended by  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  none  but  believers, 
to  whom  that  gift  was  limited,  ought  to  receive  it ; 
since  it  saves,  and  there  is  no  salvation  except  by 
faith,  it  should  be  administered  to  those  only  who 
have  saving  faith ;  and  since  it  conferred  the  right 
of  admission  into  the  churches  of  saints  and  faithful 
brethren,  none  but  saints  and  faithful  brethren  ought 
to  receive  it.  If  unbelievers  are  baptized,  baptism  is 
the  sign  of  regeneration  to  the  unregenerate,  and  of 
justification  to  those  who  are  still  in  their  sins  ;  it 
ought  to  save  and  does  not,  and  admits  into  com- 
munion with  the  churches  those  who  are  unfitted  for 
that  privilege.  Such  an  application  of  baptism  could 
not  be  intended,  and  therefore  the  baptism  of  the  un- 
believer is  contrary  to  Christ's  authority,  by  which  be- 
lievers alone  ought  to  be  baptized. 

VII.  The  Practice    of  the  Churches    of   the 
FIRST  Centuries  of  the  Christian  Era  affords 

pyiDENCE    THAT    BeLIEVERS    ALONE    OUGHT   TO   BE 
BAPTIZED. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  adduce  one  more  proof  that 
baptism  in  the  apostolic  churches  was  considered  a 
profession  of  faith.  If  it  was  so  considered,  we  may 
expect  to  find  that  for  some  time  the  same  belief  con- 
tinued to  prevail.      And  if  this  belief  is  proved  to 


PRACTICE  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH.        121 

have  been  common  in  the  first  four  centuries  of  the 
Christian  era,  we  may  consider  it  to  afiord  some 
proof  that  it  was  also  the  belief  of  the  apostolic  age. 
As  churches  tend  to  decay,  we  may  expect  to  find 
relaxations  in  doctrine  and  discipline  springing  up  of 
themselves,  but  innovations  requiring  more  spiritu- 
ality and  self-denial  could  scarcely  prevail  to  any  ex- 
tent. The  information  which  we  possess  on  this 
point  may  be  comprised  under  the  four  following 
heads :  In  the  early  Christian  churches  catechumens 
were  not  baptized,  a  profession  of  faith  was  required 
of  applicants  for  baptism,  the  baptized  were  esteemed 
regenerate  believers,  and  they  were  admitted  at  once 
to  the  Lord's  table. 

1.  In  the  early  churches  catechumens  were  not 
baptized. 

*'  Eusebius  reckons  but  three  orders  (in  the 
Church),  rulers,  believers,  and  catechumens."  "  The 
name  believers  is  here  taken  in  a  more  strict  sense, 
only  for  the  believing  or  baptized  laity,  in  contradis- 
tinction to  the  clergy  and  catechumens."  "In  this 
sense  the  words  believers,  ttiotoI,  Jideles,  are  com- 
monly used  in  the  ancient  liturgies  and  canons  to  dis- 
tinguish those  that  were  baptized  and  allowed  to  par- 
take of  the  holy  mysteries  from  the  catechumens." 
"  The  believers,  niGTol,  oi  Jideles,  being  such  as  were 
baptized,  and  thereby  made  complete  and  perfect 
Christians,  were  upon  that  account  dignified  with 
marks  of  distinction  above  the  catechumens."  "  Cat- 
echumens have  the  names  diivaroL,  dfivrjTOi,  the  un- 
initiated or  unbaptized . "  "  None  came  to  the  Lord's 
table  but  such  as  were  first  initiated  by  baptism : 
whence  the  custom  was,  before  they  went  to  celebrate 


12*2         BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS 

the  Eucharist,  for  a  deacon  to  proclaim,  'Aym  ayton;, 
'  Holy  things  for  holy  men.  Ye  catechumens,  go 
forth.'  "*  "  St.  Austin,  in  one  of  his  sermons  to  the 
newly  baptized,  saysj  '  Having  now  dismissed  the 
catechumens,  we  have  retained  you  only  to  be  our 
hearers'"  (29).  "  Theodoret  also  says,  'We  dis- 
course obscurely  of  divine  mysteries  before  the  unbap- 
tized,  but  when  they  are  departed  we  speak  plainly 
to  the  baptized'  "  (30).  "  Catechumens  were  a  de- 
gree higher  than  either  heathens  or  heretics,  though 
not  yet  consummated  by  the  waters  of  baptism" 
(iii. ,  2 ).  "  The  Church  found  it  necessary  to  lengthen 
the  time  of  probation,  lest  an  over-hasty  admission 
of  persons  to  baptism  should  either  fill  the  Church 
with  vicious  men,  or  make  greater  numbers  of  rene- 
gadoes  and  apostates  in  time  of  persecution.  For 
this  reason  the  Council  of  Eliberis  appointed  two 
years'  trial  for  new  converts,  that  if  in  that  time 
they  appeared  to  be  men  of  a  good  conversation,  they 
might  then  be  allowed  the  favor  of  baptism"  (iii.,  6). 
"■  They  were  obliged  to  get  some  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures by  heart  before  they  were  baptized"  (iii.,  11). 
"  Upon  the  approach  of  the  Easter  festival,  it  was 
usual  for  the  catechumens  to  give  in  their  names  in 
order  to  be  baptized"  (17).  "  As  they  were  all  ex- 
amined, so  they  were  all  exercised  alike  for  twenty 
days  before  baptism"  (18).  "During  this  same  term 
of  twenty  days  the  catechumens  were  also  exercised 
with  abstinence  and  fasting  as  a  suitable  prepara- 
tion for  baptism"  (21). 

2.  A  profession  of  faith  was  required  from  appli- 
cants for  baptism. 

*  Bingham,  i.,  22-24, 26, 27. 


PRACTICE    OF    THE    PRIMITIVE    CHURCH.      123 

"  Let  such  as  give  in  their  names  to  be  baptized 
be  exercised  a  long  time  with  abstinence  from  wine 
and  flesh,  with  imposition  of  hands  and  frequent  ex' 
amination,  and  so  let  them  receive  their  baptism."— 
Fourth  Council  of  Carthage  :  Bingham,  iii.,  21. 
"  They  that  are  about  to  receive  baptism  must 
first  make  frequent  prayer  and  fastings  ....  and 
make  confession  of  all  their  former  sins." — Tertul- 
lian,  Ibid.,  22.  "Together  with  the  creed  they 
were  also  taught  how  to  make  their  proper  responses 
in  baptism,  particularly  the  form  of  renouncing  the 
devil  and  his  works,  and  the  contrary  form  of  cov- 
enanting wdth  Christ  and  engaging  themselves  in  his 
service.  .  .  .  And  these  engagements  they  actually 
entered  into,  not  only  at  their  baptism,  but  before  it, 
as  a  just  preparation  for  it.  '  For,'  says  the  author 
of  the  Co7istitiitions,  '  they  ought  first  to  abstain 
from  the  contraries,  and  then  come  to  the  holy  mys- 
teries, having  purged  their  hearts  beforehand  of  all 
spot,  and  wrinkle,  and  habits  of  sin'  "  (24).  "  The 
conditions  required  of  all  those  who  received  it  (bap- 
tism) were  the  profession  of  a  true  faith  and  a  sin- 
cere repentance"  (120).  "  Converts  from  Judaism 
or  Gentilism,  before  they  could  be  admitted  to  bap- 
tism, were  obliged  to  spend  some  time  in  the  state  of 
catechumens,  to  qualify  them  to  make  their  profes- 
sions of  faith  and  a  Christian  life  in  their  ow^n  per- 
sons ;  for  without  such  personal  professions  there  was 
ordinarily  no  admission  of  them  to  the  privilege  of 
baptism'  '(179).  "  Their  baptism  was  generally  de- 
ferred for  two  or  three  years,  or  a  longer  or  shorter 
time,  till  they  could  be  sufficiently  instructed  and 
disciphned  to  the  practice  of  a  Christian  life"  (199). 


124         BAPTISM    TO    NONE    BUT    BELIEVERS. 

"  Men  were  obliged  to  give  security  to  the  Church 
that  they  intended  to  live  by  the  rules  of  the  Gospel 
before  they  were  admitted  to  the  mysteries  of  it" 
(205).  "  Three  things  were  now  indispensably  re- 
quired of  them — a  formal  and  solemn  renunciation 
of  the  devil,  a  profession  of  faith  made  in  the  words 
of  some  received  creed,  and  a  promise  to  live  in  obe- 
dience to  Christ  or  by  the  laws  and  rules  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion"  (217).  *'  The  next  thing  required  of 
men  at  their  baptism  was  a  vow  or  covenant  of  obe- 
dience to  Christ,  giving  themselves  up  to  the  govern- 
ment and  conduct  of  Christ"  (224).  "  Some  urged 
that  to  deny  wicked  men  the  privilege  of  baptism 
was  to  root  out  the  tares  before  the  time.  To  which 
St.  Austin  replies  that  this  rejection  of  them  from 
baptism  was  not  rooting  out  the  tares,  but  rather  not 
sowing  them  as  the  devil  did"  (225).  "Together 
with  this  profession  of  obedience,  there  was  also  ex- 
acted a  profession  of  faith  of  every  person  to  be  bap- 
tized. .  .  .  One  way  or  other  the  whole  creed  was  re- 
peated, and  every  individual  article  assented  to  by 
men  at  their  baptism"  (228,  229).  "  The  matter 
is  so  incontestable,  that  the  ancients  did  never  bap- 
tize into  the  profession  of  any  single  article,  but  into 
a  complete  and  perfect  creed,  that  I  think  it  need- 
less to  insist  upon  the  proof  of  it"  (230). 

3 .  The  baptized  were  esteemed  regenerate  behev- 
ers.  The  ttlotoI,  or  fideles,  were  such  as  were  bap- 
tized, and  thereby  made  complete  and  perfect  Chris- 
tians.— Bingham,  i.,  25.  "A  noble  effect  of  bap- 
tism was  regeneration,  or  a  new  birth,  from  the  death 
of  sin  to  the  life  of  righteousness,  for  every  Christian 
was  supposed  to  be  born  again  by  the  waters  of  bap- 


PRACTICE    OF    THE    PRIMITIVE    CHURCH.      125 

tism"  (iii.,  114).  "Hence  baptism  had  the  name 
of  TraXLyyeveata  ^vxrig,  the  regeneration  of  the  soul, 
and  vScop  ^cj^." — Ibid. 

4.  The  baptized  were  admitted  at  once  to  the 
Lord's  table.  The  words  believers,  moTot,  Jideles, 
are  commonly  used  in  the  ancient  liturgies  to  distin- 
guish those  that  were  baptized  and  allowed  to  par- 
taJke  of  the  holy  mysteries  from  the  catechumens  (i., 
23).  "  Believers  were  called  teXelol,  the  perfect, 
because  they  were  consummate  Christians,  who  had 
a  right  to  participate  in  the  holy  Eucharist"  (i.,  26). 
•'As  soon  as  the  ceremonies  of  baptism  were  finished, 
men  were  admitted  to  a  participation  of  the  Eucha- 
rist ;  for  this  was  to  teXelov,  the  perfection  or  con- 
summation of  a  Christian,  to  which  he  was  entitled 
by  virtue  of  his  baptism.  Therefore  all  the  ancient 
writers  speak  of  this  as  the  concluding  privilege  of 
baptism,  which  in  those  days  was  always  immedi- 
ately subjoined  to  it"  (iii.,  332).  "In  reference  to 
its  making  men  complete  members  of  Christ's  body, 
it  (baptism)  had  the  name  of  rEXEicjoig,  consumma- 
tion, because  it  gave  men  the  perfection  of  Christians, 
and  a  right  to  partake  of  the  teXeiov,  the  Lord's 
Supper"  (i.,  123).  "A  class  of  penitents  only  ex- 
cepted, all  other  baptized  persons  were  not  only  per- 
mitted, but  by  the  rules  of  the  Church  obliged  to 
communicate  in  the  Eucharist  under  pain  of  ecclesi- 
astical censure." — BingJia?n,  v.,  297. 


126  INFANT    BAPTISM, 


CHAPTER  III. 


INFANT      BAPTISM. 


Section  I.     Ge7ieral   Conuderations  to  show  the 
Uiilaivfulness  of  Infant  Baptism. 

We  have  seen  that  baptism  is  a  solemn  profession 
of  repentance,  faith,  and  devotedness,  which  no  one 
but  a  behever  can  honestly  make,  and  which,  there- 
fore, ought  to  be  administered  to  no  one  without  a 
credible  profession  of  faith.  As,  then,  infants  are  in- 
capable of  such  profession,  they  ought  not  to  be  bap- 
tized without  express  authority  from  Christ,  which 
can  not  be  adduced,  or  plain  apostolic  precedents, 
which  are  not  to  be  found. 

Since  Christ  has  made  baptism  to  be  a  voluntary 
act,  what  right  have  his  ministers  to  substitute  for 
it  what  is  perfectly  involuntary  ?  No  baptized  in- 
fant has  been  baptized  by  his  own  consent,  no  person 
baptized  in  infancy  has  ever  in  his  own  person  hon- 
ored Christ's  ordinance  ;  but  conformity  was  forced 
upon  him  when  he  was  as  unconscious  as  a  stone. 
Can  this  be  right  ?  Since  Christ  has  required  bap- 
tism as  a  profession  of  faith  in  him,  how  can  his 
ministers  lawfully  administer  it  to  those  who  can 
make  no  profession,  and  thus,  with  respect  to  them, 
completely  alter  the  whole  character  of  his  ordinance  ? 
Since  he  has  made  repentance  and  faith  necessary 
to  baptism,  what  right  can  they  have  to  set  his  com- 


FTS    UNLAWFULNESS.  127 

mands  aside  by  baptizing  those  who  have  neither 
repented  nor  beheved  ?  And  since  he  has  ordained 
that  saints  and  faithful  brethren  should  be  introduced 
to  fellowship  with  saints  and  faithful  brethren  by  this 
ordinance,  how  can  it  be  proper  that  churches  should 
by  it  receive  into  their  society  unregenerate  and  un- 
conscious infants  instead  ? 

Infant  baptism  differs  essentially  from  the  baptism 
of  believers.  The  believer  is  active  in  his  reception 
of  baptism,  but  the  infant  is  passive  ;  the  believer 
asks  for  it  as  a  privilege,  the  infant  receives  it  with- 
out its  consent ;  the  one  by  it  professes  his  faith,  the 
other  professes  nothing.  The  baptism  of  the  believer 
and  the  baptism  of  the  infant  are  therefore  two  dif- 
ferent baptisms,  with  different  significations  and  dif- 
ferent consequences  ;  and  both,  therefore,  to  be  law- 
ful, must  have  a  separate  warrant  from  the  Lord. 
Since  they  are  quite  different  institutions,  the  precept 
which  enjoins  the  one  rather  by  inference  forbids  the 
other.  Since  Christ  has  commanded  a  baptismal 
profession,  no  man  may  without  his  authority  hinder 
that  baptismal  profession  by  substituting  a  parental 
act  for  the  act  of  the  person  himself  Since  bap- 
tismal dedication  in  infancy  sets  aside,  with  reference 
to  all  such  infants,  baptismal  profession  in  after  life, 
the  one  must  not  be  lightly  substituted  for  the  other, 
lest  a  human  invention  be  found  to  subvert  a  divine 
ordinance.  The  commands  of  Christ  to  each  peni- 
tent believer  are  plain,  "  Repent,  and  be  baptized  ;" 
"  Arise,  and  wash  away  thy  sins  ;"  "  He  that  be- 
lieveth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved."  But  where 
is  the  authority  for  the  baptismal  dedication  of  the 
infant   without    profession  ?      In    vain   do  we  look 


128  INFANT    BAPTISM, 

through  the  whole  New  Testament  for  a  line,  for  a 
word  in  its  favor. 

But  why,  it  has  been  asked,  do  you  not  equally 
insist  on  express  authority  for  administering  the 
Lord's  Supper  to  women  ?  Men  are  expressly  com- 
manded to  receive  it,  but  where  is  the  express  com- 
mand for  women  ?  I  answer,  that  there  is  express 
authority  for  their  reception  of  it.  Women  who  be- 
lieve in  Christ  are  by  that  faith  disciples  of  Christ, 
and  children  of  God,  as  much  as  believing  men.  Gal., 
iii.,  26-28  ;  Acts,  v.,  14.  When  baptized,  they  are 
baptized  into  the  Church  of  Christ,  Acts,  viii.,  3. 
They  are,  therefore,  members  of  churches  as  well  as 
men,  and  are  so  addressed,  Rom.,  xvi.,  1,  &c.,  &c. 
They  were,  therefore,  members  of  the  Church  at 
Corinth,  1  Cor.,  xiv.,  34.  But  all  this  Church  is 
said  by  the  apostle  to  have  assembled  to  receive  the 
Lord's  Supper,  women  as  well  as  men,  1  Cor.,  i.,  2  ; 
xi.,  18,  20,  26.  And  as  this  habit  was  recognized 
by  the  apostle,  and  not  condemned,  it  had  his  sanc- 
tion :  see,  also,  Acts,  ii.,  38—42.  Besides,  if  there 
had  been  no  express  authority  for  the  admission  of 
women  to  the  Lord's  table,  there  would  have  been 
no  similarity  between  the  cases  ;  for  in  Christ  Jesus 
"  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither 
bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  female,"  Gal., 
iii.,  28.  A  believing  woman  before  God  is  exactly 
as  a  believing  man  ;  and,  therefore,  the  reception  of 
the  Lord's  Supper  by  a  woman  is  exactly  the  same 
spiritual  act  as  the  reception  of  it  by  a  man  ;  and 
since  "  there  is  neither  male  nor  female  in  Christ 
Jesus,"  a  command  given  to  disciples  generally  is 
given  to  women  as  well  as  men  ;   and  when  Jesus 


ITrf    UNLAWFULNESS.  129 

said  to  his  disciples  respecting  the  cup,  "  Drink  you 
all  of  it,"  he  said  it  to  women  as  well  as  men. 

What  a  shallow  fallacy  likewise  it  is  to  argue  that 
because  the  same  spiritual  act  may  be  performed  by 
two.  classes  of  believers,  of  which  one  alone  has  been 
named  in  the  precept,  that  therefore  two  opposite 
acts  may  be  performed  by  these  two  classes  I  When 
one  believer  receives  the  Lord's  Supper,  it  is  the 
same  act  as  when  another  receives  it ;  and  we  may 
infer  the  duty  of  the  one  from  the  duty  of  the  other. 
But  when  an  unconscious  infant  has  baptism  forced 
upon  it,  and,  being  yet  unregenerate,  receives  the 
sign  of  regeneration,  its  baptism  is  a  rite  totally  dif- 
ferent from  the  baptism  of  a  believer  who,  as  regen- 
erate, voluntarily  expresses  by  baptism  his  faith  and 
his  obedience.  The  duty,  therefore,  of  one  believer 
to  baptize  his  infant  can  not  be  inferred  from  the  duty 
of  another  believer  to  be  himself  baptized  ;  and  the 
case  which  rests  upon  so  forced  an  analogy  must  be 
weak  indeed. 

But  if  there  is  no  analogy  between  the  reception 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  by  women  who  believe  and  the 
reception  of  baptism  by  unconscious  infants,  there  is 
a  close  analogy  between  the  reception  of  baptism  by 
an  infant  and  its  reception  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
While  believers  are  commanded  to  receive  both 
baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  word  of  God  is 
silent  respecting  the  administration  of  either  sacra- 
ment to  infants.  It  is,  therefore,  by  the  nature  and 
design  of  the  sacraments  that  we  must  judge  wheth- 
er or  not  they  are  to  be  administered  to  them  ;  and 
the  analogy  between  the  two  sacraments  demon- 
strates that  either  both  should  be  received  by  infants, 
I 


130  INFANT    BAPTISM, 

or  both  deferred  till  the  infant  has  become  a  believer. 
As  the  adult  must  believe  before  he  can  properly  re- 
ceive the  Lord's  Supper,  so  he  must  believe  before 
he  can  properly  receive  baptism.  As  the  reception 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  is  a  profession  of  faith,  so  the 
reception  of  baptism  is  a  profession  of  faith  likewise. 
If,  therefore,  the  adult  is  qualified  for  baptism,  he  is 
qualified  for  the  Lord's  Supper  ;  and  if  he  is  dis- 
qualified for  the  Lord's  Supper,  he  is  disqualified  for 
baptism.  The  qualifications  for  each  ordinance  are 
the  same.  But  what  is  true  of  the  sacraments  gen- 
erally, must  be  true  of  them  with  respect  to  all  who 
receive  them  ;  for  the  sacraments  remaining  the 
same,  the  qualifications  must  remain  the  same  also. 
If,  therefore,  the  infant  is  qualified  for  baptism,  he 
is  qualified  for  the  Lord's  Supper  ;  and  if  he  is  dis- 
qualified for  the  Lord's  Supper,  he  is  disqualified  for 
baptism.  Hence  it  follows,  that  if  you  may  infer 
the  baptism  of  infants  from  the  baptism  of  believers, 
you  may  also  infer  the  admission  of  infants  to  the 
Lord's  table  from  the  admission  of  believers  to  it, 
for  the  qualification  or  disqualification  of  infants  is 
the  same  in  both  cases.  But  if  it  be  superstitious 
and  unlawful  to  administer  the  Lord's  Supper  to  in- 
fants because  they  have  not  the  faith  which  is  requi- 
site for  it,  so  it  must  be  equally  superstitious  and 
unlawful  to  administer  baptism  to  them  when  they 
are  equally  incapable  of  the  faith  which  is  requisite 
for  it.  If  a  distinct  authority  is  wanted  to  justify 
the  admission  of  infants  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  it 
must  be  equally  wanted  to  justify  their  admission  to 
baptism,  because  both  ordinances  require  the  same 
quahfi  cations. 


ITS    UNLAWFULNESS.  ISl 

To  those  who  ask  authority  for  their  exehision 
from  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  I  reply  that  no  such 
exclusion  is  needed.  Christ's  law  is,  "Repent,  and 
be  baptized."  We  know  that  we  do  his  will  when 
we  baptize  i)^e  believer  ;  and  as  he  has  not  com- 
manded the  baptism  of  infants,  it  can  be  no  viola- 
tion of  his  command  to  delay  their  baptism  till  they 
become  believers.  His  silence  renders  it  improbable 
that  he  intended  them  to  be  baptized ;  the  required 
conditions  of  baptism  render  it  more  improbable  ; 
and  if  no  positive  precept  be  found  prohibiting  the 
baptism  of  infants,  as  no  precept  is  found  prohibit- 
ing their  reception  of  the  Lord's  >Supper,  yet  the  re- 
vealed nature  and  design  of  both  sacraments  amoun 
to  such  a  prohibition. 

All  that  the  advocates  of  infant  baptism  can  ven- 
ture to  say  with  reference  to  the  evidence  of  the 
New  Testament  is,  that  the  exclusion  of  infants  is 
not  certain.  But  is  this  evidence  enough  upon  which 
to  baptize  them  ?  May  Christ's  requirements  of  re- 
pentance and  faith  be  so  lightly  set  aside  ?  Let  us 
recall  the  rule  of  the  Apostle  Paul  in  all  cases  of 
doubt,  "  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his 
own  mind.  ...  He  that  doubteth  is  damned  if  he 
eat,  because  he  eateth  not  of  faith  ;  for  whatsoever  is 
not  of  faith  is  sin,"  Rom.,  xiv.,  5,  23.  Since  there 
is  no  evidence  that  Christ  intended  infants  to  be  bap- 
tized, and  it  is  certain  that  he  intended  believers  to 
be  so,  it  is  safer  to  follow  his  declared  will  than  un- 
certain inferences  which  may  be  in  opposition  to  it. 
Jesuit  morality  is  indeed  of  a  different  kind.  "  Prob- 
ability," the  Jesuit  says,  "is  a  doctrine  according  to 
which,  in  the  concurrence  (collision?)  of  two  opinions, 


132  INFANT    BAPTISM, 

of  which  the  one  is  more  probable  and  in  conformity 

with  the  law,  the  other  less  probable  but  favoring 
concupiscence,  it  is  lawful  to  follow  the  latter  in  prac- 
tice."— Extraits  des  Assertions,  tom.  i.,  p.  27,  note. 
"  The  authority  of  one  good  and  learned  doctor  ren- 
ders an  opinion  probable."*  "  That  any  opinion 
may  be  probable  to  me,  it  is  sufficient  that  I  have  a 
reason  which  seems  to  me  good,  or  the  authority  of 
a  good  doctor  which  is  equivalent  to  a  reason."! 
'<'  It  is  sufficient  for  an  inexperienced  and  unlearned 
man  to  follow  the  opinion  which  he  thinks  to  be 
probable,  because  it  is  maintained  by  good  men,  who 
are  versed  in  that  art,  although  the  opinion  may  be 
neither  the  more  safe,  nor  the  more  common,  nor 
the  more  probable. "$  "  It  would  be  an  insupport- 
able burden  to  the  consciences  of  men,  and  liable  to 
many  scruples,  if  we  were  bound  to  follow  and  ex- 
amine the  more  probable  opinions." §  "It  is  law- 
ful to  follow  the  more  probable  opinion,  rejecting  the 
less  probable,  although  it  may  be  the  more  safe.  It 
is  lawful  to  follow  the  less  probable  opinion,  although 
it  may  be  the  less  safe.  It  is  sufficient  for  unlearn- 
ed men  to  act  rightly,  that  they  follow  the  opinion 

*  *'  Infertur  . . .  unius  doctoiis  probi  et  docti  auctoritatem  opin- 
ionem  reddere  probabilem." — Vincent  Filliucius. 

t  "  Ut  aliqua  opinio  sit  mihi  probabilis,  sufficit  mihi  ratio,  quae 
mihi  videatur  bona,  vel  auctoritas  doctoris  boni,  quae  rationi  aequi- 
valeat." — George  de  Rhodes. 

t  "  Homini  imperito  et  illiterato  satis  esse  si  sequitur  opinio- 
nem  quam  ipse  putat  esse  probabilem,  quia  docetur  a  probis  et 
peritis  in  ea  arte ;  etiamsi  ilia  nee  sit  magis  tuta,  nee  magis  com- 
munis, nee  magis  probabilis."— /oAn  of  Salas. 

^  "  Intolerabile  esset  onus  conscientiarum,  ac  multis  scrupulis 
expositmn,  si  opiniones  probabiliores  sequi  et  investigare  tenere- 
raur." — Stephen  Fagundez. 


ITS    UNLAWFULNESS.  133 

of  a  learned  man  .  .  neither  is  it  necessary  to  be 
certain  of  acting  rightly."*  "  He  does  not  sin  who 
follows  a  probable  opinion,  rejecting  the  more  prob- 
able, whether  the  latter  be  the  opinion  of  others  or 
of  the  agent  himself,  and  whether  the  less  probable 
opinion  which  he  follows  be  the  safer  or  the  less 
safe."t  "  We  may  follow  a  probable  opinion  with- 
out sin,  rejecting  that  which  is  more  probable  and 
more  safe."t  "  In  fact,  many  opinions  may  be  ad- 
duced which  are  prudently  probable,  although  they 
may  be  contrary  to  Scripture. "§  "  We  are  never 
more  free  from  the  violation  of  the  law  than  when 
we  persuade  ourselves  that  we  are  not  bound  by  the 
law.  .  .  .  He  who  says  that  the  law  is  not  binding 
can  not  sin.  He,  therefore,  who  follows  the  less 
rigid  and  less  probable  opinion,  can  not  sin . "  1 1  "  Even 
in  the  administration  of  the  sacraments  it  is  lawful 
to  follow  the  less  probable  things,  rejecting  the  more 
probable. "IF  "  Of  two  contradictory  probable  opin- 
ions touching  the  legality  or  illegality  of  any  human 
action,  every  one  may  follow  in  practice  or  in  action 
that  which  he  would  prefer,  although  it  may  appear 
to  the  agent  himself  less  probable  in  theory. "*=^ 

*  "Necrequiritur  certitude  bene  operandi." — Vincent  Filliucins. 

t  Nicholas  Baldel.  X  Anthony  Escobar. 

6  "  De  facto  dantur  plures  opiniones  prudenter  probabiies,  licet 
sint  contra  scripturam." — Charles  Anthony  Casnedi. 

II  "JNunquam  sumus  magis  liberi  a  violations  legis,  quam 
quando  nobis  persuademus,  nos  non  teneri  lege.  Qui  autem  de- 
cet  legem  non  obligare  peccare  non  potest." — Ibid. 

%  "  Etiam  in  administratione  sacramentorum  licitum  est  sequi 
minus  probabilia,  relictis  probabilioribus."— iV/a»Aeu;  Stoz. 

**  "  In  duabus  contradicentibus  probabilibus  opinionibus,  quae 
versantur  circa  actionem  humanam,  an  ea  licita  sit,  necne,  quisque 
in  praxi,  sive  operatione,  sequi  potest  quam  maluerit ;  etsi  ipsi 
operanti  speculative  minus  probabilis  videatur." — Paxil  Laymann. 


134  INFANT    BAPTISM, 

This  Jesuit  doctrine  certainly  justifies  infant  bap- 
tism. The  Scripture  says,  "  Let  every  man  be  fully 
persuaded  in  his  own  mind."  Let  every  man  ascer- 
tain by  examination  of  Scripture  that  his  course  of 
conduct  is  agreeable  to  the  will  of  God.  Let  him 
obtain  complete  scriptural  evidence  that  he  may 
lawfully  neglect  to  make  a  profession  of  his  faith  by 
immersion.  The  Jesuit  replies,  "  It  would  be  an 
nnsupportable  burden  to  the  consciences  of  men,  and 
render  them  liable  to  many  scruples,  if  we  were 
bound  to  examine  and  to  follow  the  more  probable 
opinions.  It  is  lawful  to  follow  the  more  probable 
opinion,  rejecting  the  less  probable,  although  the  lat- 
ter may  be  the  more  safe.  The  authority  of  one 
good  and  learned  doctor  renders  an  opinion  proba- 
ble." "  Scripture  seems  to  command  the  immersion 
of  all  believers  as  a  profession  of  their  faith  ;  but 
Christians  can  not  be  bound  to  ascertain  this  duty 
for  themselves.  Many  excellent  men  think  infant 
sprinkling  is  sufficient.  Their  authority  renders  this 
opinion  probable.  It  must  be  lawful  to  follow  it." 
Scripture  says,  "  He  that  doubteth  is  damned  if 
he  eat,  because  he  eateth  not  of  faith  ;  for  whatsoever 
is  not  of  faith,  is  sin  :"  in  other  words,  "  He  that 
doubteth  the  sufficiency  of  infant  sprinkling  is  con- 
demned if  he  adheres  to  it,  by  refusing  to  profess  his 
faith  by  immersion,  because  he  adheres  to  it  with- 
out conviction  that  it  is  the  will  of  God  ;  for  what- 
soever is  done  without  belief  that  it  is  the  will  of 
God,  is  sin." 

The  Jesuit  replies,  "  In  the  collision  of  two  opin- 
ions, of  which  the  one  is  more  probable  and  in  con- 
formity with  the  law,  the  other  less  probable,  but 


ITS    UNLAWFULNESS.  135 

favoring-  our  wishes,  it  is  lawful  to  follow  the  latter 
ill  practice.  It  is  much  more  agreeable  not  to  be 
immersed,  though  immersion  was  probably  intended ; 
and  therefore  it  is  lawful  to  adhere  to  infant  sprink- 
ling. It  is  lawful  to  follow  the  less  probable  opin- 
ion, although  it  may  be  the  less  safe.  Neither  is  it 
necessary  to  be  certain  of  acting  rightly.  We  are 
certain  that  Christ  commanded  believers  to  be  im- 
mersed. We  can  not  be  certain  that  he  allowed 
infants  to  be  sprinkled  ;  but  it  is  lawful  to  supersede 
the  immersion  of  believers  by  the  sprinkling  of  in- 
fants notwithstanding." 

Christ  has  said  by  his  Apostle  Peter,  "  Repent, 
and  be  immersed,  every  one  of  you ;"  and  by  his  o\vn 
lips,  "  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 
saved."  How,  then,  can  Christian  churches  law- 
fully prevent  believers  in  general  from  being  bap- 
tized, by  taking  care  to  baptize  them  long  before, 
when  they  are  unregenerate  infants  ? 
'  The  Jesuit  replies,  "  There  are  many  opinions 
which  are  prudently  probable,  although  they  may  be 
contrary  to  Scripture.  The  sprinkling  of  infants  is 
one  of  these.  Christ  commands  believers  to  be  im- 
mersed ;  but  we  think  that  he  could  not  intend  it. 
We  are  not,  therefore,  bound  by  his  command  ;  and 
we  are  never  more  free  from  the  violation  of  the  law 
than  when  we  persuade  ourselves  that  we  are  not 
bound  by  it.  We  declare  that  Christ's  command 
to  us  to  be  immersed  does  not  bind  us  ;  and  he  who 
says  that  the  law  is  not  binding  can  not  sin.  It  is 
utterly  distasteful  and  oftensive  to  be  plunged  into 
water  as  a  profession  of  a  death  to  sin,  and  a  new  life 
of  devotedness  to  God.     And  as  we  prefer  the  sprink- 


136  INFANT    BAPTISM, 

ling  of  US  when  we  are  infants  to  any  such  baptismal 
profession  to  be  made  by  us  as  men,  we  may  lawfully 
adhere  to  the  former  ;  for  of  two  contradictory  prob- 
able opinions,  touching  the  legality  or  illegality  of 
any  action,  every  one  may  follow  in  practice  that 
which  he  prefers." 

This  is  human  nature.  In  examining,  therefore, 
the  claims  of  a  duty  which  is  unfashionable  and  de- 
spised, let  us  take  care  that  we  are  not  tainted  by 
Jesuit  morality,  and  that  we  do  not  refuse  to  make 
a  profession  which  Christ  has  enjoined,  from  respect 
to  human  authority  or  the  fear  of  human  censure, 
from  custom  or  convenience,  from  prejudice  or  pride. 
It  is  certain  that  Christ  has  enjoined  the  immersion 
of  believers,  and  let  it  be  remembered  that  the  sprink- 
ling of  infants  is  not  an  addition  to  this  law,  but  a 
substitution  for  it. 

"  The  Reformers  knew  no  baptism,"  says  Mr. 
Budd,  "  but  that  of  infants,  and  therefore  prepared 
no  service  for  adults  :  that  was  a  subsequent  provi- 
sion, to  meet  the  evils  which  had  been  introduced  by 
times  of  Anabaptist  confusion.  They  had  no  idea 
of  a  Church,  the  membership  of  which  was  not  con- 
stituted by  infant  baptism." — BudcVs  Pref.,  233. 

So  completely  had  the  baptism  of  believers,  which 
alone  is  known  in  the  New  Testament,  vanished  from 
the  Churches.  Even  now,  except  in  the  Baptist 
churches,  not  one  person  in  a  hundred  is  baptized 
as  a  penitent  believer  ;  the  baptism  of  profession  is 
vanished,  the  baptism  of  dedication  by  another  has 
taken  its  place.  Spontaneous  baptism  is  gone,  the 
sprinkling  of  those  who  are  without  thought  or  will 
remains.     Christ's  law  is  nearly  sunk  into  obhvion, 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.  187 

the  apocryphal  corollary  governs  almost  uniA'-ersal 
practice.  Our  Lord  has  said  by  his  apostle,  "  Re- 
pent, and  be  baptized  ;"  and  the  Churches  sprinkle 
those  incapable  of  repentance.  The  New  Testament 
records  the  baptism  of  believers  and  of  no  infants ; 
,the  Churches  now  sprinkle  infants  and  scarcely  any 
believers.  All  the  passages  on  baptism  in  the  New 
Testament  have  lost  their  meaning,  because  baptism 
has  been  severed  from  faith,  regeneration,  remission 
of  sins,  the  death  to  sin,  the  new  life,  the  putting  on 
Christ,  salvation  ;  all  connected  with  baptism  in  the 
New  Testament  have  ceased  to  be  connected  with 
it,  because  water  is  now  administered  to  a  different 
class  of  persons  without  faith.  And  all  this  has 
happened  without  any  authority  whatever  from  our 
Lord. 

To  my  mind,  this  alone  is  decisive.  Inferences 
and  indirect  arguments — for  an  addition  to  Christ's 
law,  which  in  reality  subverts  it — are  inadmissible. 
Nothing  but  express  and  positive  enactments  can 
sanction  an  innovation  so  entirely  at  variance  with 
the  spirit  of  the  original  institution.  Such  enact- 
ment is  wanting  ;  and  the  disciples  of  Christ  seem, 
therefore,  bound  to  adhere  to  his  declared  will. 

Section  II.    Infant  Baptism  is  not  ^varr anted  by 
the  Circumcisio?i  of  Jeivish  Children. 

Among  the  arguments  used  by  the  defenders  of 
infant  baptism,  none  appears  to  me  stronger  than 
that  which  is  derived  from  the  circumcision  of  Jew- 
ish infants.  Able  men  have  labored  hard  to  justify 
the  former  by  the  latter,  but,  unless  I  greatly  mis- 
take, without  the  smallest  success.     The  argument 


138  INFANT    BAPTISM 

has  been  stated  thus  :  "  Before  the  coming  of  Christ 
the  covenant  of  grace  had  been  revealed,  and  under 
that  covenant  there  existed  a  divinely  instituted  con- 
nection between  children  and  their  parents  ;  the  sign 
and  seal  of  the  blessings  of  the  covenant  was  by  di- 
vine appointment  administered  to  children,  and  there 
can  be  produced  no  satisfactory  evidence  of  this  con- 
nection having  been  done  away."  Here  the  baptism 
of  infants  now  is  founded  upon  the  circumcision  of 
infants  under  the  Abrahamic  covenant ;  and  I  un- 
dertake to  show,  in  opposition  to  this  statement,  that 
the  Abrahamic  covenant,  on  the  contrary,  condemns 
the  baptism  of  infants. 

First,  let  us  examine  the  national  covenant  made 
by  the  Almighty  with  Abraham.  And  here  three 
points  must  occupy  our  attention — the  persons  with 
whom  the  covenant  was  made,  the  nature  of  the 
covenant,  and  the  token  which  was  enjoined. 

I.  Let  us  consider  the  2^ersons  who  icere  the  ob- 
jects of  the  Natioiuil  Covenant  tvhich  God  made 
with  Abraham.  It  is  sufficient  simply  to  recall  the 
promises  themselves.  When  God  called  Abraham 
in  Mesopotamia,  he  said  to  him,  «'  T  will  make  of  thee 
a  great  nation ;"  and  when  Abraham  reached  the  land 
of  Canaan,  he  added,  "  Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  this 
land,"  Gen.,  xii.,  7.  Some  years  after  the  promise 
was  thus  amplified,  "All  the  land  which  thou  seest, 
to  thee  will  I  give  it  and  to  thy  seed  forever  .  .  . 
and  I  will  make  thy  seed  as  the  dust  of  the  earth," 
Gen.,  xiii.,  15,  16.  "Look  now  toward  heaven, 
and  tell  the  stars,  if  thou  be  able  to  number  them ; 
and  he  said  unto  him,  So  shall  thy  seed  be,"  Gen., 
XV.,  5.     "As  for  me,  behold,  my  covenant  is  with 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.         139 

thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  a  father  of  many  nations  ; 
and  I  will  give  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee, 
the  land  wherein  thou  art  a  stranger,  all  the  land 
of  Canaan,  for  an  everlasting  possession  ;  and  I  will 
be  their  God,"  Gen.,  xvii.,  4—8.  Ishmael,  how- 
ever, the  son  of  Abraham,  was  not  to  be  included 
in  the  covenant,  which  was  made  exclusively  with 
Isaac  and  his  posterity.  "  And  God  said,  Sarah  thy 
wife  shall  bear  thee  a  son  indeed  ;  and  thou  shalt 
call  his  name  Isaac  ;  and  I  will  establish  my  cove- 
nant with  him  for  an  everlasting  covenant,  and  with 
his  seed  after  him.  As  for  Ishmael,  I  have  heard 
thee  .  .  .  but  my  covenant  will  I  establish  with 
Isaac,"  Gen.,  xvii.,  19—21.  "For  in  Isaac  shall 
thy  seed  be  called,"  Gen.,  xxi.,  12.  As  Ishmael 
had  been  rejected,  so  was  Esau,  the  son  of  Isaac, 
Gen.,  xxvii.,  27,  33  ;  Mai.,  i.,  2,  3  ;  and  then  the 
covenant  was  renewed  to  Jacob  thus  :  <'  I  am  the 
Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father  ;  the  land  whereon 
thou  liest  to  thee  will  I  give  it  and  unto  thy  seed  ; 
and  thy  seed  shall  be  as  the  dust  of  the  earth," 
Gen. ,  xxviii. ,  13,14.  This  covenant  was  afterward 
renewed  to  the  twelve  tribes  at  Horeb,  Exod.,  ii., 
23-25  ;  iii.,  6-8  ;  iv.,  22,  23  ;  vi.,  2-8  ;  Ps.  cv., 
8-10,  11,  12. 

From  these  passages,  we  see  that  all  the  sons  of 
Jacob,  with  all  their  posterity,  were  the  objects  of 
this  national  covenant.  The  magnitude  and  the 
perpetuity  of  the  blessings  granted  under  it  were 
made  to  depend  upon  the  obedience  of  the  people  to 
the  law  of  God ;  but  the  title  to  a  place  within  the 
covenant  was  simply  a  descent  from  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob.      Ignoran^  or  instructed,  godly  or  un- 


140  INFANT    BAPTISM 

godly,  all  the  children  of  Israel  were,  by  their  rela- 
tionship to  Abraham,  the  covenanted  nation.  The 
brothers  who  conspired  the  murder  of  Joseph  ;  Ko- 
rah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram,  who  perished  in  their 
sins  ;  all  those  who  died  in  the  wilderness  through 
their  disbelief  and  rebellion  ;  the  multitudes  who  fell 
into  idolatry  during  the  rule  of  the  judges  ;  those  of 
whom  the  Almighty  said,  in  a  later  period  of  their 
history,  "  I  have  nourished  and  brought  up  children, 
and  they  have  rebelled  against  me ;"  those  who 
were  driven  to  Babylon  for  their  sins,  and  those  who, 
after  rejecting  Christ,  continued  "  to  fill  up  their  sins 
alway  because  wrath  was  come  upon  them  to  the 
utmost"  (1  Thess.,  ii.,  16),  were  all  of  them  within 
the  provisions  of  the  national  Abrahamic  covenant. 
From  this  brief  statement,  it  is  evident  how  little 
similarity  there  was  between  the  Jewish  nation  and 
the  Church  of  Christ.  The  Church  is  composed  of 
"saints  and  faithful  brethren .  .  .  sanctified  in  Christ 
Jesus,  and  called  to  be  saints"  (Col.,  i.,  2  ;  1  Cor., 
i.,  2  ;  XV.,  28) ;  the  nation  included  multitudes  of 
unregenerate  persons,  who  were  members  by  birth. 
The  Church  is  the  body  of  Christ  and  his  bride 
(Eph.,  i.,  22  ;  Col.,  i.,  18,  24)  ;  the  Jewish  nation 
crucified  him.  The  Church  is  subject  to  Christ 
and  to  God  (Eph.,  v.,  24)  ;  the  nation  was  rebell- 
ious against  the  divine  authority,  Isaiah,  i.,  4.  The 
Church  is  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  a 
pecuHar  people,  bought  with  the  blood  of  God  (1 
Pet ,  ii.,  9  ;  Acts,  xx.,  28) ;  the  nation  was  left  in 
its  sins,  Rom.,  ix.,  32  ;  John,  viii.,  24.  The 
Church  was  typified  by  Sarah  the  free-woman,  and 
its  members  by  Isaac  the  child  of  promise  (Gal.,  iv. 


NUT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION,         141 

26-28)  ;  the  nation  by  Hagar  the  bond-woman,  and 
its  members  by  Ishmael  the  outcast,  Gal.,  iv.,  24, 
25,  29,  30.  The  Church  is  the  general  assembly 
of  the  children  of  God,  whose  names  are  written  in 
heaven,  and  who  are  all  as  the  first-born,  because 
all  are  heirs  of  God  (Heb.,,-xii.,  23  ;  Rom.,  viii., 
14— 17)  ;  to  the  chief  members  of  the  nation,  Jesus 
said,  "  Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and  the  lusts 
of  your  father  ye  will  do,"  John,  viii.,  44.  The 
Church  is  the  object  of  Christ's  unchangeable  love 
(Eph.,  v.,  25)  ;  the  nation  was  the  object  of  his 
wrath,  1  Thess.,  ii.,  16;  Luke,  xix.,  27.  The 
Church  is  kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith 
unto  salvation,  and  the  counsels  of  hell  can  not  pre- 
vail against  it  (1  Pet.,  i.,  5  ;  Matt.,  xvii.,  18) ;  the 
nation  was  judicially  hardened  and  then  cast  away, 
Isaiah,  vi.,  10  ;  John,  xii.,  39,  40  ;  Matt.,  xxi.,  43. 
Instead  of  being  the  Church,  the  Jewish  nation 
is  frequently  represented  as  the  world  in  contrast 
with  the  Church,  John,  i.,  10  ;  vii.,  7  ;  viii.,  23  ; 
xiii.,  1  ;  xiv.,  17,  19,  22  ;  xv.,  19  ;  xvi.,  20  ;  xvii., 
6,  14. 

There  is  no  force  in  the  objection  that  the  nation 
of  Israel  was  termed  by  the  martyr  Stephen  "  the 
Church,  EKKXriata^  in  the  wilderness,"  Acts,  xii.,  38. 
So  a  tumultuous  crowd  of  idolaters  at  Ephesus 
was  termed  by  the  Evangelist  Luke  eKKXTjaia,  the 
Church,  Acts,  xix.,  32,  41.  And  the  one  was  no 
more  like  the  Church  of  God  than  the  other.  The 
idolaters  at  Ephesus  were  called  a  Church,  or  assem- 
bly, simply  because  they  were  assembled  in  the  thea- 
ter ;  and  the  rebellious  Israelites  at  Sinai  were  termed 
the  Church,  or  assembly,  because  they  were  assem- 


142  INFANT    BAPTIS3I 

bled  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  ;  and  if  the  one  civil 
assembly  was  not  the  Church  of  God,  so  neither  was 
the  other.  When  was  the  nation  of  Israel,  after  it 
ceased  to  be  an  assembly  by  occupying  the  land  of 
Canaan,  called  a  Church  ?  Never.  Nor  was  Is- 
rael any  more  the  Church  because  it  was  called  to 
be  holy,  God  said  unto  them,  "  If  ye  will  obey  my 
voice  indeed,  and  keep  my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be 
a  peculiar  treasure  to  me  above  all  people  ;  for  all 
the  earth  is  mine,  and  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  king- 
dom of  priests  and  a  holy  nation,"  Exod.,  xix.,  5,  6. 
"  Ye  shall  be  holy,  for  I  the  Lord  your  God  am 
holy,"  Lev.,  xix.,  2.  But  these  commands  and 
promises  did  not  make  them  the  Church.  England 
and  France,  no  less  than  Israel,  are  commanded  to 
obey  the  commands  of  God,  and  so  are  India  and 
China.  But  England  and  France,  and  India  and 
China,  are  not  therefore  the  Church  of  Christ.  And 
these  nations  have  promises  as  great  as  those  which 
were  given  to  Israel ;  for  if  they  would  keep  God's 
covenant  of  grace,  they  would  become  also  portions 
of  his  Church.  But  just  as  modern  nations  who 
will  not  believe  and  obey  the  Gospel  are,  therefore, 
no  portions  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  so  Israel,  which 
would  not  obey  God  nor  keep  his  covenant,  never 
Avas  to  him  a  kingdom  of  priests  nor  a  holy  nation. 
There  was  a  church  of  God  within  that  nation,  as 
there  are  churches  of  Christ  within  England,  France, 
India,  and  China  ;  but  Israel  itself  was  no  more  the 
Church  than  these  nations  are. 

"  The  covenant  made  with  Abraham  was  made 
first  with  himself;  2.  with  his  household  generally ; 
3.  with  his  servants  by  name,  whether  born  in  his 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.         143 

house  or  bought  with  money  ;  4.  with  his  infant  chil- 
dren, afterward  Hmited  particularly  to  the  descend- 
ants of  Isaac,  and  afterward  again  to  the  descendants 
of  Jacob;  5.  to  their  descendants  as  a  people  ;  6.  to 
their  little  ones,  or  infants,  in  every  generation ;  7.  to 
their  servants  universally  ;  and,  8.  to  the  strangers 
who  dwelt  in  their  nation." — Divight,  v.,  325. 

From  this  enumeration,  it  is  plain  that  the  cove- 
nanted nation  was  not  the  Church  of  God,  and  that 
the  "  Abrahamic  Church"  is  only  a  scriptural  or  true 
expression  when  it  denotes  the  elect  people  of  God, 
the  true  believers  within  the  nation,  not  the  nation 
itself;  the  spiritual  children  of  Abraham,  not  his 
natural  descendants  ;  and  when  a  proselyte  and  his 
children  were  admitted  into  that  national  covenant, 
they  were  no  more  admitted  into  the  Church  of  God 
than  a  Turk  and  his  family  would  be  by  becoming 
naturalized  in  this  country. 

II.  The  Nature  of  the  Abrahamic  National  Cov- 
enant.— In  the  passages  already  cited  we  have  seen 
that  God  was  pleased  repeatedly  to  enter  into  cove- 
nant with  Abraham  on  behalf  of  his  children.  This 
covenant  was  confirmed  to  Isaac  :  "And  God  said  to 
Abraham,  Sarah  thy  wife  shall  bear  thee  a  son  in- 
deed ;  and  thou  shalt  call  his  name  Isaac  ;  and  I 
will  estabhsh  my  covenant  with  him  for  an  everlast- 
ing covenant,  and  with  his  seed  after  him,"  Gen.,  xvii., 
19.  And  after  Abraham's  death  God  said  to  Isaac, 
"  I  will  perform  the  oath  which  I  sware  unto  Abra- 
ham thy  father  ;  and  I  will  make  thy  seed  to  mul- 
tiply as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  will  give  unto  thy 
seed  all  these  countries,  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed  ;  because  that  Abra- 


144  INFANT    BAPTISM 

ham  obeyed  my  voice,"  Gen.,  xxvi.,  3.  Some  years 
later  the  Ahnighty  confirmed  the  covenant  to  Jacob 
(Gen.,  xxviii.,  1 3—1 5) ;  and  when  at  length  the  time 
came  that  the  covenant  was  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  act- 
ual enjoyment  of  the  promised  land  by  the  children 
of  Jacob,  God  again  confirmed  the  covenant  to  them. 
Having  now  grown  into  a  nation,  and  being  oppress- 
ed by  the  King  of  Egypt,  they  cried  to  God,  "And 
God  heard  their  groaning,  and  God  remembered  his 
covenant  with  Abraham,  with  Isaac,  and  with  Jacob, 
and  God  looked  upon  the  children  of  Israel,  and  God 
had  respect  mito  them,"  Exod.,  ii.,  24.  "And  the 
Lord  said,  I  have  surely  seen  the  affliction  of  my 
people,''  Exod.,  iii.,  7.  "  I  am  the  Lord,  and  I  ap- 
peared unto  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob,  and  I 
have  also  established  my  covenant  with  them  to  give 
them  the  land  of  Canaan,  the  land  of  their  pilgrim- 
age wherein  they  were  strangers.  I  have  also  heard 
the  groaning  of  the  children  of  Israel  .  .  .  and  I  have 
remembered  my  covenant  .  .  .  and  I  will  take  you  to 
me  for  a  people,  and  I  will  be  to  you  a  God  .  .  .  and 
I  will  bring  you  into  the  land  concerning  Avhich  I  did 
swear  to  give  it  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob," 
Exod.,  vi.,  2—8.  At  Sinai  God  required  the  people 
to  enter  therefore  into  covenant  with  him  to  obey 
him  :  "And  Moses  took  the  book  of  the  covenant, 
and  read  in  the  audience  of  the  people  ;  and  they 
said.  All  that  the  Lord  hath  said  will  we  do,  and  be 
obedient.  And  Moses  took  the  blood  and  sprinkled 
it  on  the  people,  and  said.  Behold,  the  blood  of  the 
covenant  w^hich  the  Lord  hath  made  with  you  con- 
cerning all  these  words,"  Exod.,  xxiv.,  7,  8.  It  was 
then  renewed  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  just  before 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.         145 

they  began  the  conquest  of  Canaan,  as  we  learn  from 
the  following  \vords  of  Moses  :  "  Keep,  therefore,  the 
words  of  this  covenant  :  ...  ye  stand  this  day  all  of 
you  before  the  Lord  your  God  ;  .  .  .  that  thou  shoaldst 
enter  into  covenant  with  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  into 
his  oath,  which  the  Lord  thy  God  maketh  with  thee 
this  day  ;  that  he  may  establish  thee  to-day  for  a  peo- 
ple unto  himself,  and  that  he  may  be  unto  thee  a  God, 
as  he  hath  said  unto  thee,  and  as  he  hath  sworn  unto 
thy  fathers,  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob," 
Deut.,  xxix.,  9—13.  Upon  all  which  transactions 
the  author  of  the  lOoth  Psalm  has  made  this  com- 
ment :  "  He  hath  remembered  his  covenant  forever, 
the  word  which  he  commanded  to  a  thousand  gener- 
ations ;  which  he  made  with  Abraham,  and  his  oath 
luito  Isaac,  and  confirmed  the  same  to  Jacob  for  a 
law,  and  to  Israel  for  an  everlasting  covenant.  .  .  . 
Israel  also  came  into  Egypt,  and  Jacob  sojourned  in 
the  land  of  Ham.  And  he  increased  his  people  great- 
ly, and  made  them  stronger  than  their  enemies.  .  .  . 
He  brought  them  forth  also  with  silver  and  gold.  .  .  . 
He  spread  a  cloud  for  a  covering,  and  fire  to  give  light 
in  the  night.  .  .  .  He  opened  the  rock,  and  the  waters 
gushed  out.  .  .  .  For  he  remembered  his  holy  prom- 
ise, and  Abraham  his  servant ;  and  he  brought  forth 
his  people  with  joy,"  Psalm  cv.,  8-10,  23,  24,  37, 
39,  42,  43.  All  these  were  several  confirmations 
of  the  covenant  made  with  Abraham  on  behalf  of 
his  descendants  by  Jacob.  As  the  covenant  with 
Isaac  was  a  confirmation  of  the  covenant  with  Abra- 
ham, and  as  the  covenant  with  Jacob  was  a  confirm- 
ation of  that  made  with  Abraham  and  Isaac,  so  the 
covenant  made  with  the  twelve  tribes  was  the  con- 
K 


146  INFANT    BAPTISM 

firmatioii  of  that  made  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  ;  and  that  made  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan 
was  the  confirmation  of  that  made  at  Sinai.  The 
Sinaitic  covenant  was  no  more  distinct  from  that 
made  with  Abraham  than  the  covenant  made  with 
Isaac  was  distinct  from  it.  If  Moses  said  to  the  peo- 
ple, "  The  Lord  our  God  made  a  covenant  with  us 
in  Horeb"  (Deut.,  v.,  2),  Moses  also  has  recorded 
that  God  said,  "  My  covenant  will  I  establish  with 
Isaac,"  Gen.,  xvii.,  21 .  As  the  former  was  the  con- 
firmation of  the  covenant  with  Abraham,  so  was  the 
latter  ;  and  we  can  no  more  argue  that  the  Sinaitic 
covenant  was  distinct  from  the  covenant  with  Abra- 
ham, because  Moses  said,  "  The  Lord  made  a  cove- 
nant with  us  in  Horeb,"  than  we  can  argue  that  the 
covenant  at  the  Jordan  was  distinct  from  that  at  Si- 
nai, because  Moses  said  to  those  who  were  about  to 
enter  the  promised  land,  "  Ye  stand  this  day  all  of 
you  before  the  Lord,  that  thou  shouldst  enter  into 
covenant  with  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  into  his  oath 
which  the  Lord  thy  God  m.aketh  with  thee  this  day." 
The  covenant  at  Mount  Sinai  v»^as  simply  the  cove- 
nant made  with  Abraham  renewed  and  confirmed  ; 
and  this  is  argued  both  by  D wight  and  Witsius  in 
the  following  terms  : 

"  It  was  the  same  covenant  formerly  made  by 
God  with  Abraham,  and  afterward  renewed  with 
Isaac  and  Jacob.  It  was  the  same  in  substance  : 
'  That  thou  shouldst  enter  into  covenant  loith  the 
Lord  thy  God,  that  he  may  establish  thee  this  day 
for  a  jwojile  imto  himself,  and  tltat  he  may  be  unto 
thee  a  God,'  Deut.,  xxix.,  13.  It  was  the  same  in 
fact :   '  As  he  hath  said  unto  thee,  and  as  he  hath 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.        147 

sicorn  unto  Abrahcun,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob. ^  " — 
Divight,  v.,  325. 

"  That  promise  (of  the  land  of  Canaan)  was  not 
first  made  at  Mount  Sinai,  but  long  before,  even  to 
the  Patriarch  Abraham,  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
years  before  the  giving  of  the  law,  Gen.,  xii,,  7  ; 
XV.,  7.  Hence  it  appears  what  answer  ought  to  be 
given  to  Jer.,  xxxi.,  32,  and  Gal.,  iv.,  24  ;  namely, 
that  the  first  institution  of  the  old  testament  (cove- 
nant) is  not  treated  of  in  these  places,  but  the  sol- 
emn renewal  and  confirmation  of  it,  and  the  acces- 
sion of  many  new  rites  ;  for  God  liimself  often  testi- 
fied concerning  that  time,  that  he  did  those  things 
in  virtue  of  his  covenant  entered  into  with  Abraham, 
Exod.,  ii.,  24  ;  vi.,  8.  It  therefore  remains  that 
the  testament  (covenant)  about  giving  the  land  of 
Canaan  was  not  then  first  published,  but  solemnly 
renewed,  when  God  was  now  about  to  accomplish 
it." — Witsius,  i.,  422. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  terms  of  the  covenant. 
First,  the  Almighty  said  to  Abraham,  "  I  will  make 
of  thee  a  great  nation,"  Gen.,  xii.,  2.  "  Look  now 
toward  heaven,  and  tell  the  stars,  if  thou  be  able  to 
number  them ;  so  shall  thy  seed  be,"  Gen.,  xv.,  5. 
«'Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give  this  land,"  Gen.,  xii.,  7. 
"Unto  thy  seed  have  I  given  this  land,  from  the 
River  of  Egypt  unto  the  great  river,  the  River  Eu- 
phrates," Gen.,  XV.,  18.  "I  will  make  thee  ex- 
ceeding fruitful,  and  I  will  make  nations  of  thee  ; 
and  kings  shall  come  out  of  thee.  And  I  will  es- 
tablish my  covenant  between  me  and  thee,  and  thy 
seed  after  thee  in  their  generations,  for  an  everlast- 
ing covenant ;  to  be  a  God  unto  thee,  and  to  thy 


148  INFANT    BAPTISM 

seed  after  thee.  And  I  will  give  unto  thee,  and  to 
thy  seed  after  thee,  the  land  wherein  thou  art  a 
stranger,  all  the  land  of  Canaan,  for  an  everlasting 
possession  ;  and  I  will  be  their  God,"  Gen.,  xvii., 
6—8.  "  In  blessing  I  will  bless  thee,  and  in  multi- 
plying I  will  multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  the 
heaven,  and  as  the  sand  which  is  upon  the  sea-shore  ; 
and  thy  seed  shall  possess  the  gate  of  his  enemies," 
Gen.,  xxii.,  17.  "I  will  be  their  God,"  Gen.,  xvii., 
8.  "I  will  take  you  to  me  for  a  people,  and  I  will 
be  to  you  a  God,"  Exod.,  vi.,  7.  "  Now,  therefore, 
if  ye  will  obey  my  voice  indeed,  and  keep  my  cove- 
nant, then  ye  shall  be  a  peculiar  treasure  unto  me 
above  all  people  ;  for  all  the  earth  is  mine  ;  and  ye 
shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests  and  a  holy 
nation,"  Exod.,  xix.,  5,  6.  "And  Moses  came  and 
told  the  people  all  the  words  of  the  Lord,  and  all 
the  judgments  ;  and  all  the  people  answered  with 
one  voice  and  said.  All  the  words  which  the  Lord 
hath  said  will  we  do,"  Exod.,  xxiv.,  3.  "  And  Mo- 
ses took  the  book  of  the  covenant,  and  read  in  the 
audience  of  the  people  ;  and  they  said.  All  that  the 
Lord  hath  said  will  we  do,  and  be  obedient,"  Exod., 
xxiv.,  7.  "  Wherefore  ye  shall  do  my  statutes,  and 
keep  my  judgments,  and  do  them  ;  and  ye  shall 
dwell  in  the  land  in  safety,"  Lev.,  xxv.,  18.  "If 
ye  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  keep  my  command- 
ments, and  do  them,  then  will  I  give  you  rain  in 
due  season,  and  the  land  shall  yield  her  increase. 
And  ye  shall  eat  your  bread  to  the  full,  and  dwell 
in  your  land  safely.  And  I  will  give  peace  in  the 
land,  and  ye  shall  chase  your  enemies.  And  I  will 
multiply  you,  and  establish  my  covenant  with  you 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.         149 

And  I  will  walk  among  you,  and  will  be  your  God, 
and  ye  shall  be  my  people.  But  if  ye  will  not 
hearken  unto  me,  and  will  not  do  all  these  com- 
mandments, I  will  set  my  face  against  you,"  Lev., 
xxvi.,  3-7,  9,  12,  14,  17.  See  the  whole  chapter. 
"And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  How  long  will  this 
people  provoke  me  ?  and  how  long  will  it  be  ere 
they  believe  me,  for  all  the  signs  which  I  have  show- 
ed among  them  ?  I  will  smite  them  with  the  pest- 
ilence, and  disinherit  them,  and  will  make  of  thee  a 
greater  nation,  and  mightier  than  they,"  Numb., 
xiv.,  11,12.  "  Say  unto  them,  As  truly  as  I  live, 
saith  the  Lord,  your  carcasses  shall  fall  in  this  wil- 
derness .  .  .  and  ye  shall  know  my  breach  of  prom- 
ise," Numb.,  xiv.,  28,  29,  34.  "  Take  heed  unto 
yourselves  lest  ye  forget  the  covenant  of  the  Lord 
your  God.  ...  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness 
against  you  this  day,  that  ye  shall  soon  utterly  per- 
ish from  off  the  land,"  Deut.,  iv.,  23,  26.  "Behold, 
I  set  before  you  this  day  a  blessing  and  a  curse  ;  a 
blessing  if  ye  obey  the  commandment  of  the  Lord 
your  God  .  .  .  and  a  curse  if  ye  will  not  obey,"  Deut., 
xi.,  26,  27.  "  Keep,  therefore,  the  words  of  this 
covenant,  and  do  them,  that  ye  may  prosper  in  all 
that  ye  do,"  Deut.,  xxix.,  9. 

The  following  things  are  evident  from  these  pas- 
sages : 

1.  This  covenant  was  made  with  the  whole  na- 
tion. God  required  Israel  to  obey  him,  and  if  they 
revolted  against  him  they  would  be  condemned  and 
punished  ;  but  they  would  be  punished  as  a  cove- 
nanted people.  The  covenant  required  them  to  be 
holy,  but  it  was  made  with  them  all,  holy  or  unholy, 


150  INFANT    BAPTISM 

as  the  children  of  Abraham.  When  holy,  they  kept 
his  covenant  and  were  blessed.  When  unholy,  they 
broke  his  covenant  and  were  punished  ;  but,  holy  or 
unholy,  they  were  within  the  covenant.  The  unbe- 
lievers who  perished  in  the  wilderness  experienced 
God's  breach  of  promise  (Numb.,  xiv.,  34),  and 
therefore  the  promise  had  been  made  to  them :  Na- 
dab  and  Abihu,  Hophni  and  Phinehas,  were  wicked 
men,  but  they  were  still  legally  priests.  The  wick- 
edness of  the  people  did  not  alter  the  fact  that  God 
had  taken  them  into  covenant  with  himself  So  all 
who  are  born  in  a  land  where  the  Gospel  is  known 
are  bound  to  be  pious  in  proportion  to  their  advant- 
ages, but  the  want  of  piety  does  not  at  once  destroy 
those  advantages.  As  an  Englishman  does  not  cease 
to  be  an  Englishman  because  he  is  ungodly,  so  an 
Israelite  did  not  cease  to  be  within  the  Abrahamic 
covenant  because  he  was  ungodly.  The  Israelite 
had  great  privileges  in  consequence  of  his  birth,  as 
the  Englishman  has  ;  and  in  neither  case  was  the 
right  determined  by  moral  worth.  The  Israelite 
had  great  religious  advantages  because  he  was  de- 
scended from  Abraham,  as  the  Englishman  has  great 
religious  advantages  because  he  was  born  in  England. 
2.  Next  we  observe  that  the  promises  of  this 
covenant  were  of  an  external  character,  and  did  not 
include  salvation,  nor  renewal  of  heart,  nor  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  covenant  declared  that 
the  children  of  Israel  should  be  numerous  ;  that  they 
should  possess  the  land  of  Canaan  ;  that  their  terri- 
tory should  extend  from  the  River  of  Egypt  to  the 
Euphrates  ;  that  if  they  were  obedient,  their  land 
should  be  fertile,  they  should  conquer  their  enemies 


NUT  WARRANTED  BY  CIRCUMCISION.  151 

and  live  in  safety  ;  and  that  if  they  ivould  keep  his 
covenant,  they  should  be  his  peculiar  treasure,  a 
kingdom  of  priests,  and  a  holy  nation.  It  further 
provided  them  with  religious  ordinances.  Under  it 
the  Shekinah  assured  them  of  the  constant  presence 
of  God  ;  he  gave  them  prophets  to  declare  to  them 
his  will ;  they  had  the  word  of  God.  This  was, 
according  to  Paul,  their  chief  distinction.  "  What 
advantage,  then,  hath  the  Jew  ?  or  what  profit  is 
there  of  circumcision  ?  Much  every  way  ;  chiefly 
because  that  unto  them  were  committed  the  oracles 
of  God,"  Pvom.,  iii.,  1,  2.  With  this  Moses  com- 
bined their  access  to  God  by  prayer  :  "  For  what 
nation  is  there  so  great  who  hath  God  so  nigh  to 
them,  as  the  Lord  our  God  is  in  all  things  that  we 
call  upon  him  for  ?  And  what  nation  is  there  so 
great  that  hath  statutes  and  judgments  so  righteous 
as  all  this  law,  which  I  set  before  you  this  day  ?" 
Deut.,  iv.,  7,  8.  These  things  ofTered  them  great 
advantages  for  moral  and  spiritual  improvement, 
and  if  rightly  used  would  have  made  them  a  wise 
and  prosperous  people  ;  but  nowhere  within  the  cov- 
enant was  there  a  promise  of  salvation,  of  renewal, 
or  of  Divine  influence  upon  the  heart.  Termina- 
ting in  external  blessings,  it  furnished  means  of  grace, 
but  secured  no  grace.  Each  prophet  warned  them 
of  the  danger  of  apostasy,  and  each  generation  fur- 
nished melancholy  proof  that  excellent  means  of  im- 
provement were  thrown  away  upon  a  graceless  and 
stubborn  people.  What  single  moral  advantag 
had  they  which  is  not  more  amply  possessed  by  En- 
gland, France,  Germany,  or  any  other  nation  which 
possesses  the  Bible  1 


152  INFANT    BAPTlriM 

It  has  been  thought  that  the  Abrahamic  national 
covenant  included  spiritual  blessings,  because  the 
terms  of  the  promise  to  Abraham  respecting  his  de- 
scendants were,  "  I  will  be  their  God"  (Gen.,  xvii., 
8) ;  and  God  said  to  them,  "  I  will  take  you  to  me 
for  a  people,  and  I  will  be  to  you  a  God"  (Exod., 
vi.,  7)  ;  "I  am  the  Lord  thy  God"  (Exod.,  xx.,  1). 
Now  this  is  the  promise  made  to  the  glorified  saints 
of  Christ,  "  God  himself  shall  be  with  them,  and 
be  their  God"  (Rev,,  xxi.,  3).  But  it  is  obvious 
that  words  may  have  a  lower  or  a  loftier  sense  in 
different  connections.  All  men  are  said  by  Paul  to 
be  the  offspring  of  God,  because  they  are  created  by 
him  (Acts,  xvii.,  28,  29) ;  and  the  Almighty  de- 
clared of  the  Jews,  "  I  have  nourished  and  brought 
up  children,  and  they  have  rebelled  against  me" 
(Isa.,  i.,  2)  ;  and  yet  the  adoption  of  believers  into 
the  family  of  God  is  the  effect  of  Christ's  mission 
alone.  "  God  sent  forth  his  Son  to  redeem  them 
that  were  under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the 
adoption  of  sons"  (Gal.,  iv.,  4,  5) ;  "  Ye  are  all  the 
children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,"  Gal.,  iii., 
26  ;  see  Eph.,  i.,  5.  As,  then,  we  may  not  say 
that  the  heathen  are  the  children  of  God  in  the 
same  sense  that  adopted  believers  are,  so  neither 
may  we  say  that  God  was  the  God  of  Israel  in  the 
same  sense  in  which  he  is  the  God  of  saints.  He 
was  the  obj-ect  of  their  worship  while  others  wor- 
shiped idols,  and  their  Almighty  protector  while 
others  were  without  the  promise  of  his  protection  ; 
but  that  he  made  no  unconditional  promise  to  par- 
don, renew,  or  sanctify  them  as  a  nation,  is  apparent 
from  the  following  passages  among  others  : 


NOT  WARRANTED  BY  CIRCUMCISION.  153 

"  And  the  children  of  Israel  did  evil  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord,  and  served  Baalim.  And  they  forsook 
the  Lord  God  of  their  fathers.  And  the  anger  of 
the  Lord  was  hot  against  Israel.  Whithersoevei 
they  went  out  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  against 
them  for  evil,"  Judges,  ii.,  11,  12,  14,  15 ;  see,  also, 
vi.,  10.  "And  Samuel  called  the  people  together 
.  .  .  and  said  .  .  .  Ye  have  this  day  rejected  your 
God  .  .  .  and  ye  have  said  unto  him,  Nay,  but  set 
a  king  over  us,"  1  Sam.,  x.,  19.  "Moreover,  all 
the  chief  of  the  priests  and  the  people  transgressed 
very  much  after  all  the  abominations  of  the  heathen ; 
.  .  .  they  mocked  the  messengers  of  God,  and  de- 
spised his  words,  and  misused  his  prophets,  until  the 
wrath  of  the  Lord  arose  against  his  people,  till  there 
was  no  remedy,"  2  Chron.,  xxxvi.,  14,  16.  "  They 
tempted  and  provoked  the  Most  High  God.  .  .  . 
They  provoked  him  to  anger  with  their  high  places, 
and  moved  him  to  jealousy  with  their  graven  images. 
When  God  heard  he  was  wroth,  and  greatly  ab- 
horred Israel,"  Psalm  Ixxviii.,  56,  58,  59.  "My 
people  would  not  hearken  to  my  voice  ;  and  Israel 
would  none  of  me  ;  so  I  gave  them  up  unto  their 
own  heart's  lust,"  Psalm  Ixxxi.,  11,12.  "  Hear,  O 
heavens,  and  give  ear,  O  earth  ;  for  the  Lord  hath 
spoken.  I  have  nourished  and  brought  up  children, 
and  they  have  rebelled  against  me  .  .  .  Ah,  sinful 
nation,  a  people  laden  with  iniquity,  a  seed  of  evil- 
doers, children  that  are  corrupters ;  they  have  for- 
saken the  Lord.  .  .  .  Why  should  ye  be  stricken  any 
more  ?  Ye  will  revolt  more  and  more.  Your  new 
moons  and  your  appointed  feasts  my  soul  hateth  : 
they  are  a  trouble  to  me,  I  am  weary  to  bear  them. 


154  INFANT    BAPTISM 

And  when  ye  spread  forth  your  hands,  I  will  hide 
mine  eyes  from  you ;  yea,  when  ye  make  many 
prayers,  I  will  not  hear  ;  your  hands  are  full  ojf 
blood,"  Isa.,  i.,  2,  4,  5,  14,  15.  "  Go  and  tell  this 
people,  Hear  ye  indeed,  but  understand  not ;  and 
see  ye  indeed,  but  perceive  not.  Make  the  heart 
of  this  people  fat,  and  make  their  ears  heavy,  and 
shut  their  eyes,  lest  they  see  with  their  eyes,  and 
hear  with  their  ears,  and  understand  %\ith  their 
heart,  and  convert,  and  be  healed,"  Isa.,  vi.,  9,  10. 
"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  when  they  shall 
be  hungry,  they  shall  fret  themselves,  and  curse 
their  king  and  their  God,"  Isa,,  viii.,  21.  "  ]  have 
spread  out  my  hands  all  the  day  unto  a  rebellious 
people.  .  .  .  And  ye  shall  leave  your  name  for  a 
curse  to  my  chosen ;  for  the  Lord  God  shall  slay 
thee,  and  call  his  servants  by  another  name,"  Isaiah, 
Ixv.,  2,  15.  "Be  astonished,  O  ye  heavens,  at  this, 
and  be  horribly  afraid  ;  be  ye  very  desolate,  saith 
the  Lord.  For  my  people  have  committed  two 
evils  ;  they  have  forsaken  me,  the  fountain  of  living 
waters,  and  hewed  them  out  cisterns,  broken  cis- 
terns, that  can  hold  no  water,"  Jer.,  ii.,  12,  13. 
"  Surely  as  a  wife  treacherously  departeth  from  her 
husband,  so  have  ye  dealt  treacherously  with  me,  O 
house  of  Israel.  .  .  .  Thou  hast  played  the  harlot 
with  many  lovers,"  Jer.,  iii.,  20,  1.  "  Shall  I  not 
visit  for  these  things  ?  And  shall  not  my  soul  be 
avenged  on  such  a  nation  as  this  ?"  Jer.,  v.,  9  ; 
compare  1—8  ;  see,  also,  Hos.,  iv.,  12  ;  v.,  4  ;  ix., 
1  ;  xi.,  7  ;  Amos,  ix.,  7,  8.  "  O  Jerusalem,  JerU' 
salem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest 
them  which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I 


NOT  WARRANTED  BY  CIRCUIWCISION.  155 

have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen 
gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye 
would  not.  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you 
desolate,"  Matt.,  xxiii.,  37,  38.  "  The  kingdom  of 
God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation 
bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof,"  Matt.,  xxi.,  43. 
"  They  are  not  all  Israel  which  are  of  Israel ;  neither 
because  they  are  the  seed  of  Abraham  are  they  all 
children.  But  in  Isaac  shall  thy  seed  be  called  ; 
that  is,  they  which  are  the  children  of  the  flesh, 
these  are  not  the  children  of  God  ;  but  the  children 
of  the  promise  are  counted  for  the  seed,"  Rom.,  ix., 
6—8.  "  The  Jews  both  killed  the  Lord  Jesus  and 
their  own  prophets,  and  have  persecuted  us  ...  to 
fill  up  their  sins  alway  ;  for  the  wrath  is  come  upon 
them  to  the  uttermost,"  1  Thess.,  ii.,  15,  16. 

With  these  passages  in  our  recollection,  we  must 
see  that  the  covenant  under  which  the  children  of 
Israel  were  placed  promised  them  temporal  blessings 
and  means  of  grace,  but  not  grace  itself.  Under  it 
they  could  be  ignorant  and  rebellious,  turn  away  from 
God,  forsake  his  worship,  reject  him,  and  curse  him  ; 
while  he  could  abhor  them,  and  view  them  as  the 
objects  of  his  uttermost  wi'ath.  The  expression, 
therefore,  "  I  will  be  your  God,"  could  mean  no  more 
than  that  he  would  be  the  object  of  worship  in  that 
nation,  and  their  protector,  involving  no  promise  of 
pardon,  renewal,  or  salvation.  It  was  a  covenant  of 
external  blessings,  not  a  covenant  of  grace. 

3.  The  Abrahamic  national  covenant  was  condi- 
tional with  respect  to  the  external  blessings  which 
alone  it  secured.  Some  part  of  the  posterity  of 
Abraham  must  indeed  be  numerous,  must  possess  all 


156  INFANT    BAPTISM 

the  territory  between  the  River  of  Egypt  and  the 
River  Euphrates,  and  must  last  for  many  generations, 
because  all  this  was  promised  absolutely  ;  but  we 
learn  from  the  following  passages  that  the  amount 
and  the  duration  of  their  blessings  were  made  to 
depend  upon  their  own  obedience  : 

"  Now,  therefore,  if  ye  will  obey  my  voice  indeed, 
and  keep  my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  a  peculiar 
treasure  to  me  above  all  people ;  for  all  the  earth  is 
mine,"  Exod.,  xix.,  5.  "  If  ye  walk  in  my  statutes, 
and  keep  my  commandments,  and  do  them,  then  I 
will  give  you  rain  in  due  season,  and  ye  shall  eat 
your  bread  to  the  full,  and  dwell  in  your  land  safely. 
.  .  .  But  if  ye  will  not  hearken  to  me,  and  will  not 
do  all  these  commandments,  I  will  set  my  face  against 
you.  .  .  .  And  if  ye  will  not  yet  for  all  this  hearken 
to  me,  then  I  will  punish  you  seven  times  more  for 
your  sins.  .  .  .  And  if  ye  will  not  be  reformed  by  me 
by  these  things,  but  will  walk  contrary  to-  me,  then 
will  I  also  walk  contrary  unto  you,  and  will  punish 
you  yet  seven  times  for  your  sins.  .  .  .  And  if  ye  will 
not  for  all  this  hearken  unto  me,  but  walk  contrary 
unto  me,  then  I  will  walk  contrary  to  you  also  in 
fury  ;  and  I,  even  I,  will  chastise  you  seven  times 
for  your  sins.  And  ye  shall  eat  the  flesh  of  your 
sons,  and  the  flesh  of  your  daughters  shall  ye  eat. 
And  I  will  destroy  your  high  places,  and  cut  down 
your  images  ;  and  cast  your  carcasses  upon  the  car- 
casses of  your  idols,  and  my  soul  shall  abhor  you," 
Lev.,  xxvi.,  3-5,  14,  18,  27-30.  "Keep,  there- 
fore, the  words  of  this  covenant,  and  do  them  that 
ye  prosper  in  all  that  ye  do,"  Deut.,  xxix.,  9.  "Be- 
hold, I  set  before  you  this  day  a  blessing  and  a  curse  : 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.  157 

a  blessing  if  ye  obey  the  commandments  of  the  Lord 
your  God,  and  a  curse  if  ye  will  not  obey,"  Deut., 
xi.,  26,  27,  28.  "  If  thou  shalt  hearken  diligently 
unto  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  observe  and 
do  all  his  commandments  ...  all  these  blessings  shall 
come  upon  thee.  But  if  thou  wilt  not  hearken  to 
the  Lord  thy  God,  to  observe  to  do  all  his  command- 
ments ...  all  these  curses  shall  come  upon  thee," 
Deut.,  XXX.,  1,  2,  15  ;  see  1-68.  "  And  the  Lord 
said  unto  Moses,  This  people  will  go  a  whoring  after 
the  gods  of  the  strangers  of  the  land,  whither  they 
go  to  be  among  them,  and  will  forsake  me,  and  break 
my  covenant  which  I  have  made  with  them.  Then 
my  anger  shall  be  kindled  against  them  in  that  day, 
and  I  will  forsake  them,  and  I  will  hide  my  face 
from  them,  and  they  shall  be  devoured,  and  many 
evils  and  troubles  shall  befall  them,"  Deut.,  xxxi., 
16,  17  ;  see,  also,  Joshua,  xxiii.,  14--16  ;  xxiv.,  19, 
20.  "  The  Lord  is  with  you  while  ye  be  with  him  ; 
and  if  ye  seek  him,  he  will  be  found  of  you  ;  but  if 
ye  forsake  him,  he  will  forsake  you,"  2  Chron.,  xv., 
2.  "  If  ye  be  willing  and  obedient,  ye  shall  eat  the 
good  of  the  land  ;  but  if  ye  refuse  and  rebel,  ye  shall 
be  devoured  of  the  sword  ;  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord 
hath  spoken  it,"  Isaiah,  i.,  19,  20.  Large  blessings 
might  be  secured  by  obedience  ;  but  obedience  was 
not  secured  by  grace  ;  and  disobedience  was  to  be 
followed  by  corresponding  punishment. 

4.  The  Abrahamic  national  covenant  being  thus 
conditional,  was  defectible.  All  its  blessings  might 
be  lost  by  any  individual,  or  by  the  nation  ;  and  it 
might,  upon  its  conditions  being  broken,  be  wholly 
Bet    aside.      Its  blessings   were  lost  by  multitudes, 


158  INFANT    BAPTISM 

Numb.,  xiv.,  34 ;  Heb.,  iv.,  2.  God  would  not  hear 
the  prayers  of  the  nation,  Isaiah,  lix.,  2.  His  soul 
abhorred  them,  Lev.,  xxvi.,  28—30.  He  declared 
that  they  should  not  be  his  people,  Hos.,  i.,  9.  He 
predicted  their  rejection,  Isaiah,  Ixv.,  1 5.  Our  Lord 
declared  the  same.  Matt.,  xxi.,  43.  Paul  also  de- 
clared it,  Gal.,  iv.,  21—31.  The  utmost  \\Tath  de- 
scended upon  them,  1  Thess.,  ii.,  16.  And  the  cov- 
enant itself  was  done  away,  Heb.,  viii.,  13  ;  ix.,  10  ; 
Jer,,  xxxi.,  31. 

This  covenant  with  the  nation  was  so  far  from 
being  identical  with  the  covenant  of  grace,  that  it  is 
expressly  contrasted  with  it.  "  Behold,  the  days 
come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will  make  a  new  cov- 
enant with  the  house  of  Israel,  and  with  the  house 
of  Judah  ;  not  according  to  the  covenant  that  I  made 
with  their  fathers  in  the  day  that  I  took  them  by 
the  hand  to  bring  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
which  my  covenant  they  brake,"  Jer.,  xxxi.,  31,  32. 
Here  the  covenant  of  grace  is  called  a  new  covenant, 
which  is  unlike  the  former  national  covenant.  Ac- 
cording to  Paul,  it  is  a  better  covenant,  established 
upon  better  promises  (Heb.,  viii.,  6),  which  has  su- 
perseded the  other.  "  In  that  he  saith,  A  new  cov- 
enant, he  hath  made  the  first  old  :  now  that  which 
decay eth  and  waxeth  old  is  ready  to  vanish  away," 
Heb.,  viii.,  13. 

The  substance  of  the  new  covenant  completely 
illustrates  its  superiority  to  the  national  covenant. 

1 .  It  is  a  covenant  of  spiritual  blessings.  It  con- 
tains a  promise  of  holiness  :  "I  will  put  my  law  in 
their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in  their  hearts."  It 
promises  adoption  :   "I  will  be  their  God,  and  they 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.         159 

'shall  be  my  people ;"  "  Thou  shalt  call  me,  My  fa- 
ther," Jer.,  iii.,  1 9.  It  promises  knowledge :  "They 
shall  all  know  me,  from  the  least  of  them  unto  the 
greatest  of  them"  (Jer.,  xxxi.,  34) ;  "  My  people 
shall  know  my  name"  (Isa.,  Iii.,  6) ;  "All  thy  chil- 
dren shall  be  taught  of  the  Lord,"  Isa.,  liv.,  13.  It 
promises  pardon  :  "I  will  forgive  their  iniquity,  and 
I  will  remember  their  sin  no  more"  (Jer.,.  xxxi.,  34)  ; 
"  In  that  day  thou  shalt  say,  O  Lord,.  I  will  praise 
thee  ;  though  thou  wast  angry  with  me,  thine  an- 
ger is  turned  away,  and  thou  comfortedst  me,"  Isa., 
xii.,  1 .  It  promises  perseverance  :  "  Thou  shalt  call 
me.  My  father,  and  shalt  not  turn  away  from  me" 
(Jer.,  iii.,  19);  "I  will  betroth  thee  unto  me  for- 
ever" (Hos.,  ii.,  19)  ;  "I  will  give  them  one  heart 
and  one  way,  that  they  may  fear  me  forever.  .  .  . 
And  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them 
that  I  will  not  turn  away  from  them  to  do  them 
good,  but  I  -vvdll  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts  that 
they  shall  not  depart  from  me,"  Jer.,  xxxii.,  40. 
Lastly,  it  promises  the  Holy  Spirit  :  "  I  will  pour 
out  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh"  (Joel,  ii.,  28) ;  "A 
new  heart  also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  wiU 
I  put  within  you ;  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony 
heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart 
of  flesh  ;  and  /  wiU  put  my  spirit  within  you,  and 
cause  you  to  Vv^alk  in  my  statutes,"  Ezek.,  xxxvi., 
26,  27. 

2.  The  covenant  of  grace  is  absolute,  uncondi- 
tional, and  effectual.  Let  us  recall  its  terms : 
"  They  shall  all  know  me  ;"  "I  will  forgive  their 
iniquity  ;"  "  I  M'ill  write  my  law  in  their  hearts  ;" 
'•  I  will  be  their  God  ;"    "A  new  heart  will  I  give 


160  INFANT    BAPTISM 

you  ;"  "I  will  cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes  ;" 
"  Thou  shalt  call  me,  My  father,  and  shalt  not  turn 
away  from  me,"  Jer.,  xxxi.,  33,  34  ;  Ezek.,  xxxvi., 
25  ;  Jer.,  iii.,  19  ;  see,  also,  Isa.,  xii.,  1,2;  Joel,  ii., 
28.  "In  the  covenant  of  works  God  promised  life 
to  man  on  condition  of  perfect  obedience,  but  he  did 
not  promise  to  produce  or  effect  this  obedience  in 
man.  In  the  covenant  of  grace  he  not  only  prom- 
ises life  eternal,  but  also,  at  the  same  time,  faith, 
and  repentance,  and  perseverance  in  holiness,  with- 
out which  life  can  not  be  attained,  and  which  being 
granted,  life  can  not  but  be  attained.  It  does  not 
depend  on  any  uncertain  condition,  but  is  founded 
on  the  suretyship  and  actual  satisfaction  of  Christ ; 
does  infallibly  secure  salvation  to  the  believer  ;  and 
as  certainly  promise  faith  to  the  elect .  .  .  Whatever 
can  be  conceived  as  a  condition,  is  all  included  in 
the  universality  of  the  promises.  Should  God  only 
promise  eternal  life,  there  might  be  some  pretense 
for  saying  that  repentance,  faith,  and  the  like,  were 
the  conditions  of  this  covenant.  But  seeing  God 
does  ratify  both  the  beginning,  progress,  uninterrupt- 
ed continuance,  and  the  consummation  of  the  new 
life,  nothing  remains  in  this  universality  of  the  prom- 
ises which  can  be  looked  upon  as  the  condition  of 
the  whole  covenant." — Witsius,  372,  374. 

3.  The  covenant  of  grace  is  sure  and  eternal. 
Recall  its  promises  :  "  Incline  your  ear,  and  come 
unto  me  ;  hear,  and  your  soul  shall  live  ;  and  I 
>vill  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  you,  even 
the  sure  mercies  of  David,"  Isa.,  Iv.,  3.  "I  will 
make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them,  that  I  will 
not  turn  away  from  them,  to  do  them  good  ;  but  I 


NUT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.         161 

will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts  that  they  shall  not 
depart  from  me,"  Jer,,  xxxii.,  40.  "  We  know  that 
all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God,  to  them  who  are  the  called  according  to  his 
purpose  ;  for  whom  he  did  foreknow,  he  also  did 
predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his 
Son,  that  he  might  be  the  first-born  among  many 
brethren.  Moreover,  whom  he  did  predestinate, 
them  he  also  called  ;  and  whom  he  called,  them  he 
also  justified  ;  and  Avhom  he  justified,  them  he  also 
glorified,"  Rom.,  viii.,  28—30.  "Blessed  be  the 
God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath 
blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly 
places  in  Christ  :  according  as  he  hath  chosen  us  in 
him  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  that  we  should 
be  holy  and  without  blame  before  him  in  love :  hav- 
ing predestinated  us  unto  the  adoption  of  children  by 
Jesus  Christ  to  himself,  according  to  the  good  pleas- 
ure of  his  will  ...  In  whom  also  we  have  obtained 
an  inheritance,  being  predestinated  according  to  the 
purpose  of  him  who  worketh  all  things  after  the 
counsel  of  his  own  will,"  Eph.,  i.,  3—5,  11;  see 
Jer.,  iii.,  19;  xxxi.,  31;  Hos.,  ii.,  19;  John,  x., 
28  ;  xiv.,  16  ;  Heb.,  xiii.,  10  ;  1  Pet.,  i.,  1-5. 

4 .  The  covenant  of  grace  is  made  with  the  elect, 
and  with  no  others.  1 .  It  is  made  with  elect  be- 
lievers of  the  Jewish  nation.  "  Behold,  the  days 
come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will  make  a  new  cove- 
nant with  the  house  of  Israel,  and  with  the  house  of 
Judah,"  Jer.,  jlxx.,  31  ;  see  Jer.,  iii.,  19  ;  Isa.,  xii., 
1,  2;  lix.,  20,  21;  Jer.,  xxxii.,  37-40;  Ezek., 
xxxvi.,  24-27.  By  these  passages  is  intended  the 
elect  portion  of  Israel :  "  For  they  are  not  all  Israel 
L 


162  INFANT    BAPTISM 

which  are  of  Israel,  neither  because  they  are  the  seed 
of  Abraham  are  they  all  children  ;  but,  In  Isaac  shall 
thy  seed  be  called  (Gen.,  xxi.,  12);  that  is,  they 
which  are  the  children  of  the  flesh,  these  are  not  the 
children  of  God,  but  the  children  of  the  promise  are 
counted  for  the  seed,"  Pvom.,  ix.,  6—8.  "  I  say  then, 
Hath  God  cast  away  his  people  ?  God  hath  not  cast 
away  his  people  which  he  foreknew.  There  is  a 
remnant  according  to  the  election  of  grace.  What 
then  ?  Israel  hath  not  obtained  that  which  he  seek- 
eth  for ;  but  the  election  hath  obtained  it,  and  the 
rest  were  blinded,"  Rom.,  xi.,  2,  5,  7  ;  see,  also, 
26-28.  2.  It  is  made  with  the  elect  of  every  na- 
tion. "  Thou  shalt  break  forth  on  the  right  hand 
and  on  the  left,  and  thy  seed  shall  inherit  the  Gen- 
tiles," Isa.,  liv.,  3.  *'  Behold,  thou  shalt  call  a  na- 
tion that  thou  knowest  not,  and  nations  that  knew 
not  thee  shall  run  unto  thee  because  of  the  Lord  thy 
God,  and  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  for  he  hath 
glorified  thee,"  Isa.,  Iv.,  5.  "Know  ye,  therefore, 
that  they  which  are  of  faith,  the  same  are  the  chil- 
dren of  Abraham.  If  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye 
Abraham's  seed  and  heirs  according  to  the  promise," 
GaL,  iii.,  7,  29.  "  For  by  one  offering  he  hath  per- 
fected forever  them  that  are  sanctified.  Whereof 
the  Holy  Ghost  also  is  a  witness  to  us  ;  for  after  that 
he  had  said  before.  This  is  the  covenant  that  I  will 
make  with  them  after  those  days,  saith  the  Lord,  I 
will  put  my  laws  into  their  hearts,  and  in  their  minds 
will  I  write  them  ;  and  their  sins  and  iniquities  will 
I  remember  no  more,"  Heb.,  x.,  14—17.  "  Now, 
therefore,  ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreigners, 
but  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  house- 


NOT    WARRANTED   BY   CIRCLiMCISlUN.  163^ 

hold  of  God,"  Eph.,  ii.,  19  ;  see,  also,  Isa.,  xlii.,  1-6  ; 
xlix.,  8  ;  with  2  Cor.,  vi.,  1,2;  Rom.,  ix.,  22-26  ; 
Gal.,  iv.,  25-31  ;  Eph.,  ii.,  11-19. 

"  The  contracting  parties  are  on  the  one  part  God, 
on  the  other  the  elect.  .  .  .  Here  men  are  considered 
as  chosen  by  God  to  grace  and  glory,  according  to 
his  most  absolute  good  pleasure,  and  so  appointed 
heirs  of  eternal  Hfe,  Luke,  xii.,  32." — Witsius,  i., 
369,  370. 

"  Two  things  are  to  be  considered  :  1st.  The  cov- 
enant between  God  the  Father  and  Christ  the  Me- 
diator; 2dly.  That  testamentary  disposition  by  which 
God  bestows,  by  an  immutable  covenant,  eternal 
salvation  and  every  thing  relative  thereto  upon  the 
elect.  The  former  agreement  is  between  God  and 
the  Mediator,  the  latter  between  God  and  the  elect." 
—  Witsius,  i.,  210. 

<'  The  Father  is  held  forth  as  the  principal  author 
of  it,  2  Cor.,  v.,  19  ;  Rom.,  viii.,  17.  The  Son  is 
mediator  and  executor  of  the  covenant ;  the  Spirit 
brings  the  elect  to  Christ,  and  in  Christ  to  the  pos- 
session of  the  benefits  of  the  covenant.  .  .  .  Salvation 
itself,  and  every  thing  belonging  to  it  or  inseparably 
connected  with  it,  are  promised  in  this  covenant ;  all 
which  none  but  the  elect  can  attain  to." — Ibid.,  370. 

Rightly,  then,  does  the  Apostle  Paul  say  that  the 
covenant  of  grace  is  better  than  the  legal  national 
covenant,  Heb.,  viii.,  6.  The  national  covenant 
promised  external  blessings,  the  covenant  of  grace 
all  spiritual  blessings  in  Christ ;  the  one  was  condi- 
tional, the  other  was  absolute  ;  the  one  was  defect- 
ive, and  has  been  done  away,  the  other  is  sure  and 
eternal ;  the  one  was  made  with  all  sorts  of  charac- 


164  INFANT    BAPTISM 

ters,  the  other  is  made  with  the  elect  people  of  God  ; 
the  one  was  confined  to  the  limits  of  a  particular  na- 
tion, the  other  is  the  charter  of  the  children  of  God 
throughout  the  world. 

III.  The  Difference  between  Circumcision  and 
Baptism. — When  God  entered  into  covenant  with 
Abraham  on  behalf  of  his  children,  he  required  them 
to  be  circumcised  ;  and  since  infants  were  circum- 
cised by  divine  command,  it  is  argued  that  infants 
ought  to  be  baptized.  Since  infants  were  required 
to  receive  the  initiatory  rite  of  the  first  covenant,  they 
may  also  receive  the  initiatory  rite  of  the  second. 

But  this  conclusion  manifestly  rests  upon  the  as- 
sumed similarity  of  the  two  rites,  whereas  circum- 
cision difiers  from  baptism  in  all  its  principal  feat- 
ures :  1 .  they  were  appointed  for  different  persons  ; 
2.  they  had  different  significations  ;  3.  they  intro- 
duced into  different  societies  ;  and,  4.  they  were  at- 
tended by  difierent  consequences.  The  difierences 
in  the  two  ordinances  were  as  great  as  those  in  the 
religious  systems  to  which  they  were  introductory. 

1.  Circumcision  was  appointed  for  unregenerate 
as  well  as  for  regenerate  adults,  baptism  for  the  re- 
generate alone  ;  whence  it  follows  that  unregenerate 
infants  might  be  circumcised,  but  .unregenerate  in- 
fants may  not  be  baptized.  God  appointed  circum- 
cision at  the  same  time  that  he  entered  into  cove- 
nant with  Abraham  ;  every  male  in  his  house  was 
to  be  circumcised,  the  servants  being  included.  Gen., 
xvii.,  10—14.  The  whole  nation  was  thus  to  be  cir- 
cumcised through  successive  generations.  Gen.,  xvii., 
9,  10,  12.  All  servants  were  to  be  included  in  suc- 
cessive ages  (Gen.,  xvii.,  13  ;  Exod.,  xii.,  44) ;  and 


NOT    WARKANTKD    BY    ClRCUMCIfilON.  165 

all  foreigners,  with  all  their  children  and  servants 
who  were  living  in  the  country,  were  also  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  it,  Exod.,  xii.,  48,  49. 

Thus  circumcision  was  appointed  for  all  the  de- 
scendants of  Jacob,  and  for  their  dependants,  and  for 
the  foreigners  who  lived  among  them,  without  refer- 
ence to  character  or  previous  instruction.  According 
to  God's  commandment,  all  Abraham's  servants  were 
circumcised  the  very  day  that  he  received  the  com- 
mand. "And  Abraham  took  Ishmael  his  son,  and 
all  that  were  born  in  his  house,  and  all  that  were 
bought  with  his  money,  every  male  among  the  men 
of  Abraham's  house,  and  circumcised  the  flesh  of 
their  foreskin,  in  the  self-same  day  as  God  had  said 
unto  him,"  Gen.,  xvii.,  23,  26,  27.  No  previous 
instruction  was  ordained,  no  profession  required,  no 
examination  instituted,  no  delay  allowed.  About 
six  hundred  men  and  boys  received  that  day  the  to- 
ken of  the  national  covenant,  Gen.,  xiv.,  14.  After 
this  time,  any  persons  who  professed  a  wish  to  be  con- 
nected with  the  favored  family,  and  would  submit  to 
its  laws,  though  they  were  without  piety  or  knowl- 
edge, might,  apparently,  without  profanation,  receive 
this  rite.  When  the  sons  of  Jacob  required  of  the 
subjects  of  Shechem,  a  Hivite  prince,  that  they  should 
be  at  once  circumcised,  as  the  only  condition  on  which 
they  would  enter  into  any  alliance  with  them,  and 
these  heathens  consented  upon  commercial  consider- 
ations, Jacob,  who  must  have  known  the  transaction, 
did  not  forbid  it  as  a  desecration  of  the  ordinance"; 
and  they  at  once  received  it,  just  as  the  heathen  serv- 
ants of  Abraham  had  previously  received  it  (Gen., 
xxxiv.,  24).     An  equally  indiscriminate  administra- 


166  INFANT    BAPTISM 

tion  of  the  rite  took  place  long  after,  when  the  nation 
had  crossed  the  Jordan,  and  were  about  to  enter  on 
the  conquest  of  Canaan.  Some  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  men,  including,  doubtless,  persons  of  every 
degree  of  irreligion  and  ignorance,  with  all  their  chil- 
dren, were  ordered  by  the  Almighty  to  be  circumcised 
before  they  commenced  their  campaign,  Josh.,  v.,  2. 
No  person  can  reasonably  suppose  that  all  those  who 
received  circumcision  were  regenerate  persons,  or 
seemed  to  be  so.  Some  have  said  that  Abraham's 
servants  were  pious,  because  the  Lord  said,  "  I  know 
him,  that  he  will  command  his  children  and  his  house- 
hold after  him,  and  they  shall  keep  the  way  of  the 
Lord,"  Gen.,  xviii.,  19.  To  suppose  that  three  hund- 
red and  eighteen  men-servants,  capable  of  bearing 
arms,  with  all  their  boys,  living  in  a  barbarous  age 
among  idolaters,  without  the  Bible  or  other  books, 
were  all  pious,  is  to  suppose  such  a  miracle  as  the 
world  has  never  seen  ;  but  if  they  were  so,  the  case 
is  not  altered.  All  the  children  and  servants  of 
Isaac  and  of  Jacob  were  not,  surely,  pious  ;  all  the 
subjects  of  Shechem  were  not  at  once  converted  ;  all 
the  nations  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  with  all  their 
servants,  were  not  so  ;  still  less  M'ere  all  the  success- 
ive millions  of  Israelites,  with  their  slaves  and  the 
foreigners  who  lived  among  them,  and  all  the  chil- 
dren of  all  these,  converted  to  God,  since,  on  the  con- 
trary, they  were  cast  away  for  their  obstinate  ungod- 
liness. And  3"et  all  these  received  circumcision  by 
the  express  command  of  God.  Circumcision,  then, 
was  appointed  for  all  the  descendants  of  Jacob,  as 
such,  with  their  servants  and  children  ;  and  for  all 
foreigners,  with  their  children,  dwelling  among  them, 


NOT    WARRANTED    RY    CIRCUMCISION.         107 

without  respect  to  character.  Ignorant  as  well  as 
instructed,  good  or  bad,  godly  or  ungodly,  all  were 
to  be  circumcised. 

But  baptism  was  appointed  by  our  Lord  to  be 
administered  with  respect  to  adult  believers  alone, 
Matt.,  xxviii.,  19  ;  Mark,  xvi.,  16  ;  Acts,  ii.,  38. 
Since,  therefore,  faith  was  required  in  the  adult  who 
sought  to  be  baptized,  but  those  who  had  no  faith 
were  ordered  to  be  circumcised,  it  follows  that  the 
two  rites  were  different  in  their  character,  and  that 
those  might  be  properly  circumcised  who  could  not 
lawfully  be  baptized.  As,  then,  an  unregenerate 
adult  might  be  circumcised,  an  unregenerate  infant 
might  receive  circumcision  ;  but  as  an  unregenerate 
adult  might  not  be  baptized,  an  unregenerate  infant 
ought  not  to  receive  baptism.  As  repentance  and 
faith  are  not  necessary  qualifications  for  the  Jewish 
rite  with  reference  to  adults,  the  infant,  like  the 
adult,  might  receive  it  without  them  ;  but  as  they 
are  necessary  qualifications  for  the  Christian  rite 
with  reference  to  adults,  the  infant,  like  the  adult, 
must  not  receive  it  without  them. 

If  there  be  such  an  analogy  between  circumcision 
and  baptism  that  infants  may  be  baptized  because 
infants  were  circumcised,  the  analogy  must  extend 
to  every  class.  Baptism  being  the  substitute  for 
circumcision,  and  administered  on  the  same  condi- 
tions, if  any  one  class  has  a  right  to  baptism  because 
it  had  a  right  to  circumcision,  then  all  classes  have 
a  right  to  baptism  which  had  a  right  to  circumcision. 
Since  infants  have  a  right  to  baptism  because  Jewish 
infants  were  circumcised,  then  unregenerate  adults, 
servants  of  Christians  or  heathens  living  with  them, 


168  INFANT    BAPTISM 

with  all  their  children,  have  a  right  to  baptism,  he- 
cause  all  these  classes  had  a  right  to  circumcision. 
Persons  of  every  character  and  their  children  may  be 
baptized,  because  persons  of  every  character  with 
their  children  were  circumcised.  But  this  is  mani- 
festly false,  since  adults  must  not  be  baptized  except 
on  a  credible  profession  of  repentance  and  faith.  The 
analogy,  therefore,  is  false  ;  and  as  ungodly  adults 
may  not  be  baptized  because  ungodly  adults  were 
circumcised,  so  infants  may  not  receive  the  Christian 
rite  because  infants  received  the  Jewish  rite. 

It  is,  however,  further  argued,  that  as  piety  en- 
titles an  adult  to  baptism,  and  infants  may  be  re- 
generated by  the  Spirit  of  God,  the  contrary  to  which 
we  can  not  know,  they  are  also  entitled  to  baptism. 
But  this  seems  to  me  strange  reasoning.  Baptism 
being  appointed  for  believers,  an  adult  should  be  ad- 
mitted to  baptism  as  soon  as  the  evidences  of  his 
faith  become  apparent  :  so,  then,  because  an  adult 
may  be  baptized  upon  a  credible  profession  of  faith, 
we  are  to  baptize  infants  when  such  a  profession  is 
impossible.  You  may  not  baptize  an  adult  till  you 
have  reason  to  believe  that  he  is  regenerate ;  why, 
then,  do  you  baptize  an  infant  when  you  have  no 
evidence  whatever  that  he  is  so  ?  Infants  are  born 
with  a  corrupt  nature ;  facts  prove  that  even  the 
children  of  believers  often  remain  unregenerate  ;  and 
unregenerate  infants  are  no  more  suitable  subjects  of 
baptism  than  unregenerate  adults.  And  since  in- 
fants are  not  capable  of  affording  proof  that  they  are 
regenerate,  they  must  be  treated  as  unregenerate. 
If  infants  are  to  be  baptized  because  some  among 
them  may  possibly  be  regenerate,  then  a  crowd  of 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCI.=?[ON.         I(i9 

Hindoos  or  Chinamen  listening  to  a  missionary  in 
Calcutta  or  Hong  Kong  ought  likewise  to  be  bap- 
tized because  some  among  them  may  also  be  regen- 
erate. But  if  this  conclusion  is  false  with  respect  to 
a  crowd  of  adults,  it  is  equally  false  with  reference 
to  a  crowd  of  infants.  Since  faith  is  the  revealed 
condition  of  baptism,  no  persons  should  receive  it  till 
they  afford  proof  that  the  condition  is  fulfilled  ;  and 
as  no  infant  can  afibrd  that  proof,  no  infant  should 
be  baptized. 

Further,  baptism  in  the  New  Testament  was  the 
voluntary  act  of  those  who  were  baptized  ;  but  cir- 
cumcision was  a  law  which  the  persons  designated 
could  not  without  punishment  neglect.  "  The  con- 
sent either  of  Abraham  or  of  his  family  was  not 
asked.  The  compliance  of  some  of  them,  to  wit, 
such  as  were  infants,  was  impossible.  That  of  many 
others  in  his  household  was  probably  never  yielded, 
either  knowingly  or  voluntarily.  Yet  upon  all  these 
was  the  seal  placed  by  the  divine  command,  under  a 
penalty  for  omitting  it,  no  less  than  excision.  In 
the  same  manner  was  it  placed  upon  the  whole  na- 
tion of  Israel,  and  upon  all  the  strangers  who  were 
within  their  gates." — Divight,  v.,  330. 

As,  then,  circumcision  was  forced  by  a  terrible 
penalty  on  the  adult,  it  might  be  given  to  the  un- 
conscious infant ;  but  as  baptism  was  always  the 
voluntary  act  of  the  adult,  it  ought  not  to  be  given 
to  an  unconscious  infant  who  can  not  assent  to  it. 

Further,  it  has  been  argued,  that  if  infants  may 
not  be  baptized  because  faith  is  necessary  to  bap- 
tism, infants  can  not  be  saved  because  faith  is  neces- 
sary to  salvation.      But  the  cases  are  not  parallel. 


170  INFANT    BAPTISM 

Infants  can  be  saved  without  faith,  because  Ood  can 
give  them  regeneration,  which  is  equivalent  to  faith  ; 
but  they  are  unfit  for  baptism,  because  baptism  is  a 
profession  of  faith,  and  they  are  capable  neither  of 
making  a  profession  of  faith,  nor  of  any  thing  which 
is  equivalent  to  it.  It  is  a  fallacy  to  infer  what 
man,  who  is  ignorant,  may  do,  from  what  God  may 
do  who  is  omniscient.  He  can  give  an  infant  salva- 
tion, because  he  sees  in  the  infant  all  that  prepares 
a  believer  for  salvation  ;  but  man  may  not  give  an 
infant  baptism,  because  he  can  not  see  in  the  infant 
the  grace  which  fits  a  believer  for  baptism.  As  in- 
fants are  generally  unregenerate,  and  we  can  never 
know  what  cases  are  exceptions,  unregenerate  infants 
ought  not  to  be  injured  by  being  baptized  as  regen- 
erate. Salvation  depends  upon  faith  in  the  adult, 
and  on  regeneration,  which  is  equivalent  to  faith  in 
the  infant ;  and  as  infants  are  capable  of  regenera- 
tion, they  may  be  saved.  But  baptism  depends 
upon  the  manifestation  of  faith  or  of  regeneration ; 
and  as  infants  are  incapable  of  this  manifestation, 
they  may  not  be  baptized. 

2.  The  circumcision  of  infants  under  the  law  af- 
fords no  warrant  for  the  baptism  of  infants  in  the 
Christian  Church,  because  the  signification  of  cir- 
cumcision is  different  from  the  signification  of  bap- 
tism. Circumcision,  being  enjoined  upon  all  chil- 
dren and  servants  in  the  Jewish  nation,  could  not 
imply  either  a  profession  of  faith  or  a  knowledge  of 
truth  ;  it  was,  therefore,  simply  a  token  of  the  cove- 
nant unto  which  God  had  entered  with  them.  These 
are  the  words  of  the  Almighty  :  "  This  is  my  cove- 
nant, which  ye  shall  keep  between  me  and  you,  and 


NOT  WARRANTED  BY   CIRCUMCISION.  171 

thy  seed  after  thee.  Every  male  (1:5;  ^D)  among 
you  shall  be  circumcised  .  .  .  and  it  shall  be  a  to- 
ken of  the  covenant  between  me  and  you,"  Gen., 
xvii.,  10,  11."^  As  circumcision  was  intended  to 
signify  the  circumcision  of  the  heart,  the  renuncia- 
tion of  all  sin  (Rom.,  ii.,  28,  29  ;  Col.,  ii.,  11  ; 
Deut.,  X.,  16  ;  xxx.,  6),  it  was  enjoined  upon  chil- 
dren and  servants  to  show  that  God  required  this 
renunciation  of  sin  by  all  the  covenanted  people.  It 
was  the  token  that  they  must  be  a  holy  people  to 
obtain  his  blessing  (Deut.,  vii.,  6  ;  xiv.,  2,  21 ;  xxvi., 
1 9  ;  xxviii.,  9) ;  but  it  involved  no  profession  of  piety, 
and  was  no  sign  of  existing  religious  character.  With 
respect  to  Abraham,  indeed,  Paul  has  said,  "  He  re- 
ceived the  sign  of  circumcision,  a  seal  of  the  right- 
eousness of  the  faith  which  he  had,  yet  being  uncir- 
cumcised,"  Pwom.,  iv.,  11.  But  this  statement  was 
made  by  the  apostle  with  reference  to  Abraham 
alone,  and  certainly  did  not  describe  the  force  and 
effect  of  circumcision  with  respect  to  his  posterity 
generally.  When  Abraham  was  seventy-five  years 
old,  he  left  Haran  by  faith,  Heb.,  xi.  He  was, 
therefore,  justified  by  faith  then.  Ten  years  later 
in  his  life  the  Almighty  said  to  him,  '«  Look  now 
toward  heaven,  and  tell  the  stars,  if  thou  be  able  to 
number  them  :  so  shall  thy  seed  be.  .  .  .  And  he 
believed  in  the  Lord,  and  he  counted  it  to  him  for 
righteousness,"  Gen.,  xv.,  6.  When,  therefore,  God 
enjoined  the  rite  of  circumcision,  he  had  been  many 
years  a  justified  believer ;  see  Gen.,  xvii.,  1,2.  How, 
then,  was  faith  reckoned  to  him  for  righteousness  ? 

*  IDT  does  not  mean  a  child,  but  simply  a  male.    See  verse 
23.     Also,  i.,  27  ;  vi.,  19  ;  xxxiv,,  15  ;  Exod.,  xii.,  5,  &c. 


172  INFANT    BAPTISM 

"  Not  in  circumcision,  but  in  uncircumcision ;  and 
he  received  the  sign  of  circumcision,  a  seal  of  the 
righteousness  of  the  faith  which  he  had,  yet  being 
uncircumcised,"  Rom.,  iv.,  10,  11.  God  renewed 
his  covenant  with  him  because  he  was  a  behever ; 
and  the  token  of  the  covenant  was  the  seal  or  mark 
that  he  was  accepted  as  such.  But  this  was  obvi- 
ously untrue  of  the  majority  of  those  who  were  or- 
dered to  receive  the  token  of  the  national  covenant. 
Neither  to  the  infants,  nor  to  the  servants  of  the 
Jewish  nation  generally,  was  circumcision  "  a  seal 
of  the  righteousness  of  the  faith  which  they  had,  yet 
being  uncircumcised,"  for  neither  the  infants,  nor 
the  servants  generally,  could  be  looked  upon  as  jus- 
tified believers  before  their  circumcision  ;  but  to  them 
it  was  simply  what  God  declared  it  to  be,  a  token 
of  the  covenant  into  which  God  had  entered  with 
them.  Gen.,  xvii.,  11. 

"  We  admit,"  says  Mr.  Wilson,  "that  circumcis- 
ion was  not  a  seal  of  personal  righteousness  to  any 
except  Abraham." — P.  399. 

"It  is  perfectly  plain  tha,t  Abraham's  family 
were  not  all  believers  in  the  evangelical  sense,  nor 
indeed  in  any  sense,  at  the  time  when  this  seal  was 
affixed  to  them,  for  some  of  them  were  infants.  It 
is  equally  plain  that  the  great  body  of  his  descend- 
ants were  also  not  believers  when  they  were  circum- 
cised, they,  too,  being  almost  all  infants.  The  con- 
clusion is,  therefore,  irresistible,  that  circumcision 
was  not  and  could  not  be  intended  to  be  a  seal  set 
by  God  upon  the  actually  existing  evangelical  faith 
of  those  who  were  circumcised,  because  a  part  of 
those  who  were  first  circumcised  by  the  immediate 


NOT  WARRANTED  BY  CIRCUMCISION.  173 

command  of  God,  and  almost  all  those  who  were 
circumcised  afterward,  were,  at  the  time  of  their  cir- 
cumcision, unpossessed  and  incapable  of  this  faith." 
— D wight,  v.,  331. 

Neither  infant  nor  servant  received  circumcision 
in  virtue  of  their  piety  nor  of  the  piety  of  their  par- 
ents, but  simply  as  Israelites  or  servants  of  Israel- 
ites. The  covenant  with  Abraham  and  his  sons 
was  similar  to  the  covenant  made  by  the  Almighty 
earlier  with  Noah  and  his  sons.  Circumcision,  the 
token  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  was  similar  to 
the  rainbow,  which  was  the  token  of  the  covenant 
with  Noah  (Gen.,  ix.,  8,  9,  12,  13);  and  as  the 
rainbow,  though  the  token  of  God's  covenant,  impli- 
ed no  profession  of  religion  in  the  sons  of  Noah  and 
their  children,  so  circumcision,  though  the  token  of 
the  Abrahamic  covenant,  implied  no  profession  in 
the  sons  of  Abraham  and  their  children.  The  rite 
involved  no  profession  of  piety  in  any  one,  but  was 
simply  a  token  of  the  covenant  into  which  God  had 
entered  with  them.  All  these  infants  and  servants 
of  Israel  were  within  the  covenant  before  they  re- 
ceived its  token.  Parents  might  be  ignorant  or 
wicked,  but  that  did  not  affect  the  claim  of  their 
children.  The  son  of  Shimei  had  the  same  right 
as  the  son  of  David  to  the  token  of  the  covenant  ; 
the  son  of  Manasseh  no  less  than  the  son  of  Josiah. 
Neither  children  nor  servants  made  any  promises, 
but  they  had  a  right  to  the  token  of  the  covenant, 
because  they  were  already  within  the  covenant  by 
birth  or  position.  But  baptism,  as  we  have  seen, 
involves  a  profession  of  faith,  so  that  it  could  be  said 
of  all  those  rightly  baptized  that  they  were  buried 


174  INFANT    BAPTISM 

with  Christ,  and  with  him  rose  to  a  new  life  through 
faith,  Rom.,  vi.,  3,  4  ;   Col.,  ii.,  12. 

The  circumcision,  therefore,  of  the  adult  servant, 
involved  neither  knowledge  nor  profession  ;  the  bap- 
tism of  the  adult  convert  involves  both.  The  cir- 
cumcision of  the  servant  was  a  token  of  the  repent- 
ance and  service  which  God  demanded  of  him  ;  the 
baptism  of  the  adult  convert  is  a  seal  of  the  right- 
eousness of  faith  which  he  had,  being  yet  unbaptized. 
One  was  the  act  of  a  person  doomed  to  excision  if  he 
disregarded  it ;  the  other  is  a  free  act  of  faith  and 
love.  This  being  the  difference  between  the  two 
rites  with  respect  to  adults,  we  may  see  that  infants 
might  receive  the  one,  but  may  not  receive  the  oth- 
er. If  the  ignorant  and  unregenerate  adult  was 
obliged  to  receive  the  token  of  the  national  cove- 
nant, the  unconscious  and  unregenerate  infant  might 
receive  it ;  but  since  the  ignorant  and  unregenerate 
adult  may  not  receive  baptism,  the  unconscious  and 
unregenerate  infant  ought  not  to  receive  it.  Since 
the  servant,  who  professed  nothing,  received  circum- 
cision, the  child  also,  who  professed  nothing,  might 
receive  it ;  but  since  the  adult  may  not  be  baptized 
without  professing  repentance  and  faith,  the  child, 
who  can  not  make  that  profession,  may  not  be  bap- 
tized. 

3.  We  may  further  learn  that  the  circumcision 
of  infants  was  not  meant  to  sanction  the  baptism  of 
infants,  from  the  difference  in  the  two  communities  to 
which  these  two  rites  admit  those  who  receive  them. 

Circumcision  was  the  rite  by  which  the  circum- 
cised person  entered  into  the  possession  of  the  rights 
and  privileges  of  a  Jewish  citizen,  while  others  could 


NOT    WARRANTED  BY  CIRCUMCISION.        -175 

have  very  little  intercourse  with  the  chosen  people. 
The  Jews  reckoned  it  "  an  unlawful  thing  for  a  man 
that  was  a  Jew  to  keep  company,  or  come  unto  one 
of  another  nation,"  Acts,  x.,  28.  He  who  received 
circumcision  might  associate  with  them  freely,  re- 
ceive the  Passover,  offer  the  sacrifice  of  the  law,  as- 
sist in  all  their  festivals,  and  generally  become  en- 
titled to  all  the  privileges  of  the  national  covenant. 
But  to  become  a  citizen  of  that  nation  required  no 
more  spirituality  than  to  become  a  citizen  of  En- 
gland. As  an  Englishman  is  bound  by  his  oppor- 
tunities of  knowledge  and  improvement  to  serve  God, 
so  an  Israelite  was  bound  to  serve  him  ;  but  as  a 
man  does  not  cease  to  be  an  Englishman  because  he 
is  irreligious,  so  neither  did  a  descendant  of  Abraham, 
or  a  circumcised  servant,  cease  to  be  a  citizen  of  the 
favored  nation  on  that  account.  Notwithstanding 
their  advantages,  the  nation  was  corrupt  and  per- 
verse from  the  beginning.  A  large  part  of  those 
who  were  rescued  from  Egypt  perished  in  their  un- 
beUef.  Century  after  century,  resisting  all  warn- 
ings, they  continued  to  worship  idols,  till  they  were 
driven  into  captivity  for  their  sins.  When  they 
were  restored  from  Babylon,  it  Avas  only  to  renew 
the  proofs  of  their  incurable  imgodliness,  till  they 
consummated  their  rebellion  against  God  by  reject- 
ing the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  were  cast  off.  Cora- 
pared  with  the  Church  of  Christ,  they  are  like  Ha- 
gar  the  bond- woman  compared  with  Sarah  the  free- 
woman.  While  the  Israelite  is,  like  Ishmael,  a  bond- 
servant to  be  cast  out,  the  believer  is,  like  Isaac,  the 
son  of  promise,  a  joint-heir  with  Christ,  Gal.,  iv., 
25—31.      Instead  of  beinsr  the  Church  of  God,  as 


176  INFANT    BAPTISM 

some  have  thought,  the  Jewish  people  are  often  in 
Scripture  termed  ''the  world,"  John,  i.,  10  ;  iii.,  19  ; 
vii.,  7;  viii.,  23;  xv.,  18,  19;  xvi.,  20;  xvii.,  14. 
In  the  days  of  the  apostles  they  continued  to  fill  up 
the  measure  of  their  sins  till  the  wrath  of  God  fell 
upon  them  (1  Thess.,  ii.,  16),  and  they  have  long 
since  been  cast  off  (Gal.,  iv,,  30  ,  Matt.,  xxi.,  43), 
never  again  to  share  in  the  privileges  of  the  people 
of  God  except  by  coming,  as  the  heathen  also  may 
come,  into  the  Church  of  Christ  by  faith,  Rom,,  xi., 
23-26. 

But  baptism  admits  to  communion  with  the 
Church  of  God.  That  Church  is  composed  of  the 
children  of  God  (Heb.,  xii.,  23),  is  Christ's  body 
(Eph.,  i.,  22,  23),  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
(Eph.,  ii.,  21,  22),  the  household  of  God,  Eph.,  ii., 
19.  Each  particular  Church  of  Christ,  if  faithful, 
is  to  a  great  extent  a  part  of  the  universal  Church ; 
its  members  are  generally  saints  and  faithful  breth- 
ren, Rom.,  i.,  1  ;  1  Cor.,  i.,  2  ;  Eph.,  i.,  1  ;  Phil., 
i.,  1 ;  Col.,  i.,  2.  All  who  are  not  saints  and  faith- 
ful brethren  are  false  to  their  own  profession ;  false 
brethren  come  in  privily  (Gal.,  ii.,  4),  creep  in  una- 
wares (Jude,  2),  and  to  be  put  out  as  soon  as  known, 
1  Cor.,  v.,  11,  13  ;  2  Cor.,  vi.,  14-18  ;  Gal.,  v., 
12  ;  2  Thess.,  iii.,  6,  14.  All  the  members  of 
each  Church  are  saints  by  profession,  and  ought  to 
be  so  in  reality. 

Hence,  when  a  person  was  admitted  by  circum- 
cision to  communion  with  the  corrupt  nation,  that 
transaction  was  according  to  the  divine  law ;  but 
when  a  person  is  admitted  by  baptism  into  a  corrupt 
church,  the  transaction  is  against  the  divine  law. 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCIiSION.         177 

It  may  be  objected,  that  as  the  members  of  a 
church  ought  to  be  saints,  so  ought  the  members  of 
the  Jewish  nation  to  have  been  ;  and  the  corruption 
of  the  nation  then  was  as  much  contrary  to  the  will 
of  God  as  the  corruption  of  a  church  now.  But  the 
question  before  us  is  not  the  duty  of  individuals,  but 
the  difference  between  the  nation  and  the  Church, 
viewed  as  communities  owned  by. God,  into  which 
persons  were  to  be  introduced,  according  to  the  di- 
vine law,  by  circumcision  and  by  baptism.  When 
the  nation  became  corrupt,  it  remained  still  the  cov- 
enanted nation,  because  it  was  composed  of  the  de- 
scendants of  Abraham,  and  it  Avas  owned  by  God  as 
such.  Still,  therefore,  in  the  most  corrupt  times, 
were  infants  and  servants  to  be  introduced  into  it  by 
circumcision.  But  when  a  church  becomes  corrupt, 
it  is  no  longer  owned  by  Christ,  and  his  saints  are 
to  shun  it.  According  to  the  will  of  God,  therefore, 
during  the  continuance  of  the  national  covenant,  per- 
sons were  to  be  introduced  into  communion  with  the 
Jewish  nation  by  circumcision,  when  God  loiew  that 
it  would  be  generally  corrupt.  But,  according  to 
his  will,  persons  are  to  be  introduced  by  baptism  into 
communion  with  churches  only  when  they  are  sound 
and  faithful,  when  they  are  generally  composed  of 
saints  and  faithful  brethren  ;  and,  further,  baptism 
gives,  by  Christ's  appointment,  to  each  baptized  per- 
son, the  right  of  fellowship  with  all  the  purest  church- 
es throughout  the  world,  the  right  of  communion  with 
all  saints. 

The  qualifications,  then,  for  admission  to  the  one 
community  must  be  very  different  from  those  required 
for  admission  to  the  other.  For  admission  to  citizeu- 
M 


178  INFANT    BAPTISM 

ship  among  the  Jews,  it  was  enough  to  be  a  descend- 
ant of  Abraham,  or  a  slave  of  his  descendant.  For 
admission  to  the  communion  of  saints,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  profess  to  be — and,  since  false  profession  is 
odious  to  the  Almighty,  it  is  necessary  to  be — a  pen- 
itent believer,  a  saint,  a  child  of  God.  To  the  one 
community  all  conformists  might  be  admitted  by  cir- 
cumcision ;  to  the  other,  all  penitent  believers  may 
be  admitted  by  baptism.  Since  infants  might  be 
conformists,  they  might  be  Jewish  citizens  by  circum- 
cision ;  but  since  they  can  not  be  known  to  be  pen- 
itent believers,  they  must  not  be  admitted  to  the 
communion  of  saints  by  baptism.  The  difference  in 
the  two  communities  marks  the  difference  in  their 
respective  members.  Each  must  admit  members 
suitable  to  itself,  and  no  others,  lest  it  should  be  de- 
teriorated. A  person  might  be  fitted  for  admission 
into  the  one,  and  not  fitted  for  admission  into  the 
other.  And  this  was  the  case  with  infants.  The 
nation  of  Israel  was  as  distinct  from  the  Church  of 
Christ  as  an  infant  school  is  distinct  from  the  House 
of  Commons.  And  we  may  no  more  argue  that  an 
infant  is  fitted  for  admission  into  an  association  of 
Christian  believers  because  he  was  fitted  for  an  as- 
sociation of  Jewish  citizens,  than  we  may  argue  that 
he  is  fitted  to  become  a  member  of  Parliament  be- 
cause he  is  fitted  to  be  member  of  a  class  in  an  in- 
fant school.  Any  infant  might  become  a  Jewish 
citizen  ;  a  child  of  God  alone  can  become  a  mem- 
ber of  his  Church ;  and  the  divine  appointment  of 
infant  circumcision  can  afford  no  sanction  for  the 
baptism  of  infants. 

4 .   The  circumcision  of  infants  affords  no  sanction 


NOT    WARRANTED    BY    CIRCUMCISION.        179 

for  the  baptism  of  infants,  because  of  the  different 
effects  which  are  said  in  Scripture  to  flow  from  these 
two  ordinances. 

Circumcision,  being  the  initiatory  rite  which  in- 
troduced to  the  external  privileges  of  the  Abrahamic 
national  covenant,  was  a  token  of  the  covenant,  i.  e., 
a  sign  that  God  required  repentance  and  piety  in 
those  whom  he  promised  to  bless.  But,  when  right- 
ly received,  it  secured  neither  salvation,  nor  grace, 
nor  pardon,  nor  any  spiritual  blessing  beyond  those 
which  were  external.  It  gave  great  privileges  and 
blessings  of  an  external  kind,  but  nothing  beyond. 
"  What  advantage,  then,  hath  the  Jew,  or  what 
profit  is  there  of  circumcision  ?  Much  every  way  : 
chiejiij  because  that  unto  them  were  committed  the 
oracles  of  God,'''  Rom.,  iii.,  1,  2.  The  chief  bless- 
ing afforded  by  the  national  covenant  being  the  pos- 
session of  the  oracles  of  God,  it  still  left  the  Israel- 
ites in  bondage,  slaves  rather  than  children  of  God 
(Gal.,  iv.,  3,  25);  it  did  not  exempt  from  the  curse 
of  the  law  (Gal.,  iii.,  10);  it  did  not  save  from  ju- 
dicial obduracy  (John,  xii.,  39,  40  ;  Isa.,  vi.,  9,  10); 
it  ended  to  many,  who  misused  its  privileges,  in  de- 
struction. Gal.,  iv.,  30;   Lev.,  xxvi.,  14,  &c. 

Baptism,  on  the  other  hand,  when  rightly  receiv- 
ed, being  the  true  profession  of  a  death  unto  sin,  and 
a  new  life  of  faith  and  devotedness  to  God  through 
Christ  by  the  Spirit,  was  the  bath  of  regeneration 
(Titus,  iii.,  5),  was  accompanied  by  the  remission  of 
sins  (Acts,  ii.,  38  ;  xxii.,  16),  was  the  act  of  putting 
on  the  righteousness  of  Christ  (Gal,  iv.,  27),  and 
ended  in  salvation,  1  Pet.,  iii.,  21  ;  Mark,  xvi.,  16. 
The  quahfication  for  rites  with  effects  so  different 


180  INFANT    BAPTISM 

could  not  be  the  same.  It  is  seen,  at  once  to  be 
most  improbable  that  the  rite  sealing  the  external 
privileges  of  the  law  should  be  administered  on  the 
same  terms  with  the  rite  sealing  the  spiritual  and 
eternal  blessings  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  exceedingly 
improbable  that  there  should  be  the  same  required 
qualifications  for  blessings  so  exceedingly  diverse. 
Can  we  think  that  nothing  more  should  be  asked  to 
put  a  man  into  the  position  of  a  royal  prince  (1  Pet., 
ii.,  9)  than  is  asked  to  put  him  into  the  position  of 
a  bond-servant  ?  Gal.,  iv.,  7,  25.  But  more  is  ask- 
ed. To  be  put  in  possession  of  the  external  bless- 
ings of  the  national  covenant,  it  was  enough  that  a 
man  was  the  bond-slave  of  a  descendant  of  Abra- 
ham ;  to  be  put  into  possession  of  the  spiritual  and 
eternal  blessings  of  the  new  covenant,  a  .man  must 
be  a  penitent  believer.  Circumcision  expressed  that 
a  man  was  a  slave  in  the  nation  of  Israel ;  baptism 
expresses  that  a  man  is  a  believer  in  Christ.  To 
be  admitted  to  circumcision,  a  man  must  prove  his 
servitude  ;  to  be  admitted  to  baptism,  a  man  must 
prove  his  faith.  Hence  it  follows  that  infants  were 
capable  of  the  one  rite  and  are  incapable  of  the  other. 
Like  the  slaves  of  Israel,  they  could  be  placed  un- 
der the  instructions  provided  by  the  law  ;  but,  un- 
like penitent  believers,  they  are  incapable  of  receiv- 
ing the  truths  of  the  Gospel.  And  the  divine  ap- 
pointment of  circumcision  for  infants,  whereby  they 
were  placed  under  the  Mosaic  discipline,  is  no  sanc- 
tion for  the  baptism  of  infants,  whereby  they  would 
be  recognized  as  members  of  Christ,  children  of  God, 
and  inheritors  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

The  foregoing  remarks  show  how  impossible  it  is 


NOT    WAHRANTED    BY    OIRCUMClSlOiV.  181 

to  ^i'gue  for  the  divine  appointment  of  inflmt  baptism 
from  the  divine  appointment  of  infant  circumcision. 
The  two  rites  are  so  distinct,  that  persons  who  are 
fitted  to  receive  the  one  are  utterly  unfitted  to  re- 
ceive the  other.  Designed  for  different  classes,  bear- 
ing different  significations,  admitting  to  different 
communities,  and  attended  with  difterent  results,  the 
first  might  properly  admit  those  who  were  excluded 
by  the  second,  and  the  second  properly  exclude  those 
who  were  admitted  by  the  first.  Circumcision  was 
enjoined  upon  all  the  descendants  of  Jacob,  and  their 
servants,  whether  they  were  godly  or  ungodly  ;  bap- 
tism was  offered  to  no  adults  except  regenerate  be- 
lievers. Circumcision  involved  no  profession  of  faith, 
and  all  the  servants  of  Israelites  were  obliged  to  re- 
ceive it  upon  pain  of  excision  ;  baptism  expressed 
the  faith  of  the  baptized  person,  and  was, his  volun- 
tary act.  Circumcision  admitted  to  the  privileges 
of  a  favored  but  corrupt  community  which  was  about 
to  be  cast  away  ;  baptism  admitted  to  the  commun- 
ion of  saints.  Circumcision  introduced  to  external 
means  of  improvement,  as  festivals,  sacrifices,  and 
communion  with  the  chosen  nation  ;  baptism  was 
the  seal  of  pardon,  regeneration,  and  salvation. 

Every  reader  can  see  at  once  that  nnregenerate 
infants  might  be  circumcised,  because  capable,  as 
well  as  unregenerate  adults,  of  conformity  to  the 
law  ;  but  unregenerate  infants  should  not  be  bap- 
tized, because  they  are  utterly  excluded,  so  long  as 
they  remain  unregenerate,  from  all  the  privileges 
and  blessings  of  the  Gospel.  Circumcision  accora- 
phshed  for  the  unregenerate  infant  all  that  it  was 
intended  to  accomplish  ;  but  baptism  accomplishes 


182  INFANT    BAPTISM 

for  the  unregenerate  infant  absolutely  nothing.  The 
circumcision  of  the  unregenerate  infant  was  a  bless- 
ing to  him,  because  it  introduced  him  to  a  moral 
and  religious  training  ;  but  the  baptism  of  the  unre- 
generate infant  is  a  mischief  to  it,  because,  while  it 
adds  nothing  to  his  means  of  instruction,  it  deludes 
him  with  the  mockery  of  a  pretended  adoption  into 
the  family  of  God,  which  may  hinder  him  from  seek- 
ing a  real  adoption. 

The  TJnlaivfulness  of  Infant  Baptism  proved  frmn. 
the  Analogy  between  Circumcision  and  Bap- 
tism. 

Further,  while  the  dissimilarity  between  circum- 
cision and  baptism  shows  that  the  administration  of 
the  one  to  infants  does  not  justify  the  administration 
of  the  other  to  them,  the  same  thing  is  proved  by 
the  real  analogy  between  these  rites.  As  both  are 
initiatory  rites  of  religious  systems,  and  both  are 
tokens  of  divine  covenants,  so  both  are  ordered  to 
be  applied  to  those  who  are  previously  within  the 
covenants.  All  those  who  were  admitted  to  circum- 
cision were  first  within  the  covenant  of  which  it  was 
the  appointed  seal.  As  God  made  a  covenant  with 
the  descendants  of  Jacob,  with  their  children  and 
slaves,  irrespective  of  religious  character,  he  ordered 
them  to  receive  the  token  of  his  covenant ;  and  as  he 
has  made  a  new  covenant  with  all  believers,  he  has 
ordered  them  also  to  receive  the  token  of  the  cove- 
nant. No  one  was  permitted  to  receive  the  token 
of  the  first  covenant,  whether  child,  slave,  or  stran- 
ger, who  was  not  first  within  the  covenant ;  and, 
by  analogy,  no  one  ought  to  receive  the  token  of  the 


NOT    \VARRANTi:j>    BV    CIRCUMCIrilOA'.         183 

second  covenant  who  is  not  first  within  it ;  and  as 
infants  can  not  be  shown  to  be  within  the  second 
covenant,  because  they  can  not  be  shown  to  be  be- 
lievers, so,  by  the  analogy  of  circumcision,  they 
ought  not  to  receive  its  token. 

The  Unlaivfulness  of  Infant  Baptism  proved  from 
the  Fact  tliat  Circumcision  did  not  introduce  In- 
fants into  the  Abrahamic  Covenant  of  Grace. 

But  the  covenant  which  God  made  with  Abra- 
ham contained  further  promises.  Let  us  recall  the 
words  :  "As  for  me,  behold,  my  covenant  is  with 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  a  father  of  many  nations," 
Gen.,  xvii.,  4.  "In  thee  shall  all  families  of  the 
earth  be  blessed,"  Gen.,  xii.,  3.  "In  thy  seed  shall 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed,  because  thou 
hast  obeyed  my  voice,"  Gen.,  xxii.,  18.  Upon  which 
promises  the  Apostle  Paul  has  made  the  following 
comments  :  "  The  promise,  that  he  should  be  the 
heir  of  the  world,  was  not  to  Abraham  or  to  his 
seed  through  the  law,  but  through  the  righteousness 
of  faith  ;  for  if  they  who  are  of  the  law  be  heirs, 
faith  is  made  void,  and  the  promise  made  of  none 
effect.  .  .  .  Therefore  it  is  of  faith  that  it  might  be 
by  grace,  to  the  end  that  the  promise  might  be  sure 
to  all  the  seed  ;  not  to  that  only  which  is  of  the  law, 
but  to  that  also  which  is  of  the  faith  of  Abraham, 
who  is  the  father  of  us  all,  as  it  is  written,  I  have 
made  thee  a  father  of  many  nations,"  Rom.,  iv.,  13— 
17.  "The  Scripture,  foreseeing  that  God  would 
justify  the  heathen  through  faith,  preached  before 
the  Gospel  unto  Abraham,  saying,  In  thee  shall  all 
nations  be  blessed.      So  then  they  which  be  of  faith 


184  INFANT    bAPTlrfM 

are  blessed  with  faithful  Abraham,''  Gal.,  iii.,  8,  9. 
"  To  Abraham  and  his  seed  were  the  promises  made. 
He  saith  not.  And  to  seeds,  as  of  many  ;  but  as  of 
one,  and  to  thy  seed,  which  is  Christ,"  Gal.,  iii.,  16. 
It  was  here  promised  to  Abraham  that  Christ  should 
be  his  descendant,  that  the  nations  should  believe  in 
Christ,  and  that,  believing,  they  should  be  blessed 
in  him.  They  should  be  no  longer  under  the  curse 
of  the  law  (Gal.,  iii.,  10),  but  be  blessed  with  faith- 
ful Abraham  (Gal.,  iii.,  8,  9),  pardoned,  adopted, 
sanctified,  preserved,  and  brought  to  eternal  glory 
through  faith.  Thus  the  promises  made  to  Abra- 
ham contained  two  distinct  covenants,  the  one  made 
with  his  natural  posterity,  the  other  with  his  spir- 
itual posterity  ;  the  one  left  its  subjects  in  bondage, 
the  other  led  its  subjects  to  adoption ;  the  one  fur- 
nished temporal  advantages  and  means  of  instruc- 
tion, the  other  secured  salvation ;  the  one  was  a 
conditional  legal  covenant,  the  other  was  an  uncon- 
ditional covenant  of  grace.  His  spiritual  posterity, 
as  such,  had  no  part  in  the  first  of  these  covenants  ; 
his  natural  posterity,  as  such,  had  no  part  in  the 
second.  All  these  spiritual  blessings  were  promised, 
not  to  Israelites,  but  to  believers ;  not  through  the 
law,  but  through  faith.  '=  For  the  promise  that  he 
should  be  heir  of  the  world  was  not  to  Abraham  or 
to  his  seed  through  the  law,  but  through  the  right- 
eousness of  faith.  .  .  .  Therefore  it  is  of  faith  that  it 
might  be  by  grace,  to  the  end  the  promise  might  be 
sure  to  all  the  seed  ;  not  to  that  only  which  is  of 
the  law,  but  to  that  also  which  is  of  the  faith  of 
Abraham,  who  is  the  father  of  us  all,  as  it  is  writ- 
ten, I  have  made  thee  a  father  of  many  nations," 


NOT   VVARRAMEU   BY   ClRCUMCltilOiV.  185 

Rom.,  iv.,  14,  16,  17.  The  blessings  of  the  na- 
tional covenant  were  to  be  obtained  by  obedience  to 
the  law,  Exod.,  xix.,  6  ;  Lev.,  xxv.,  18  ;  xxvi.,  3,  4  ; 
Ps.,  Ixxxi.,  8-14  ;  Isa.,  i.,  19,  20.  They  were  there- 
fore conditional,  they  might  be  forfeited,  and  they 
were  so  (Isa.,  Ixv.,  15  ;  Matt.,  xxi.,  43  ;  Gal.,  iv., 
30),  <*  because  the  law  worketh  wrath"  (Rom.,  iv., 
15),  only  serving  to  manifest  the  corruption  of 
men,  and  to  expose  them  to  the  punishment  of  dis- 
obedience. 

If,  therefore,  obedience  had  been  the  condition  of 
the  covenant  of  grace,  believers  would  not  have  been 
blessed,  because,  still  imperfect  in  obedience,  they 
would  have  forfeited  their  blessings,  and  "  faith 
would  have  been  made  void  ;"  but  as  the  covenant 
was  absolute,  as  God  said,  "  I  have  made  thee  a 
father  of  many  nations,"  "  In  thy  seed  shall  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed,"  therefore  it  was  to 
be  secured  by  faith  alone,  that  it  might  be  of  mere 
mercy,  so  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  to  all  believers. 
"  Know  ye,  therefore,  that  they  which  are  of  faith, 
the  same  are  the  children  of  Abraham.  .  .  .  And  the 
Scripture,  foreseeing  that  God  would  justify  the 
heathen  through  faith,  preached  before  the  Gospel 
unto  Abraham,  saying,  In  thee  shall  all  nations  be 
blessed.  So  then  they  which  be  of  faith  are  blessed 
with  faithful  Abraham.  .  .  .  Christ  hath  redeemed 
us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for 
us,  that  the  blessing  of  Abraham  might  come  upon 
the  Gentiles  through  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  might 
receive  the  promise  of  the  Spirit  through  faith.  .  .  . 
Now  to  Abraham  and  his  seed  were  the  promises 
made.     He  saith  not,  And  to  seeds,  as  of  many ; 


18G  INFANT    BAl'TlriiM 

but  as  of  one,  and  to  thy  seed,  which  is  Christ. 
And  this  I  say,  that  the  covenant  that  was  confirm- 
ed before  of  God  in  Christ,  the  law,  which  was  four 
hundred  and  thirty  years  after,  can  not  disannul, 
that  it  should  make  the  promise  of  none  effect.  For 
if  the  inheritance  be  by  the  law,  it  is  no  more  of 
promise  ;  but  God  gave  it  to  Abraham  by  promise. 
Wherefore,  then,  serveth  the  law  ?  It  was  added 
because  of  transgressions,  till  the  seed  should  come 
to  whom  the  promise  was  made.  ...  Ye  are  all  the 
children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  And  if 
ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed,  and 
heirs  according  to  the  promise,"  Gal.,  iii.,  7—29. 
As  God  had  promised  to  bless  the  Israelites  if  they 
were  obedient  to  his  law  (Exod.,  xix.,  5,  6  ;  xxiv., 
7,8),  the  Judaizing  Christians  maintained  that  obe- 
dience to  the  law  of  Moses,  which  was  part  of  the 
national  covenant,  was  necessary  to  salvation  (Acts, 
XV.,  1,5;  Gal.,  iv.,  9,  10,  21  ;  v.,  1-4) ;  and  Paul 
corrected  their  error  by  declaring  that  the  covenant 
of  grace  made  with  Abraham  on  behalf  of  all  be- 
lievers, four  hundred  and  thirty  years  before  that  the 
giving  of  the  law  completed  the  national  covenant, 
secured  salvation  by  grace  through  faith  to  all  be- 
lievers. Thus  the  blessings  of  the  Abrahamic  na- 
tional covenant  were  promised  to  works,  and  the 
blessings  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant  of  grace  were 
promised  to  faith.  The  national  covenant  was  made 
"with  all  Israelites,  believers,  as  such,  having  no  share 
in  it ;  and  the  covenant  of  grace  was  made  with  all 
believers,  Israelites,  as  such,  having  no  share  in  it. 
The  natural  descendants  of  Abraham  were  under 
the  law,  which  still  left  them,  though  possessed  of 


NOT   WAllRANTEl)  BY   ClKCUMClSluX.  l67 

great  privileges,  liable  to  apostasy  and  excision  ;  and 
his  spiritual  descendants  were  under  the  covenant 
of  grace,  v^diich  secured  their  eternal  salvation.  "  It 
is  writtem,  that  Abraham  had  two  sons,  the  one  by 
a  bond-maid,  the  other  by  a  free-woman.  But  he 
who  was  of  the  bond-woman  was  born  after  the 
flesh  ;  but  he  of  the  free-woman  was  by  promise. 
Which  things  are  an  allegory  :  for  these  are  the 
two  covenants,  the  one  from  the  Mount  Sinai,  which 
gendereth  to  bondage,  which  is  Agar.  For  this 
Agar  is  Mount  Sinai  in  Arabia,  and  answereth  to 
Jerusalem,  which  now  is,  and  is  in  bondage  with 
her  children.  But  Jerusalem  which  is  above  is  free, 
which  is  the  mother  of  us  all.  .  .  .  Now  we,  breth- 
ren, as  Isaac  was,  are  the  children  of  promise.  .  .  . 
Nevertheless,  what  saith  the  Scripture  ?  Cast  out 
the  bond- woman  and  her  son  ;  for  the  son  of  the 
bond-woman  shall  not  be  heir  with  the  son  of  the 
free-woman.  So  then,  brethren,  we  are  not  children 
of  the  bond-woman,  but  of  the  free,"  Gal.,  iv.,  22—3 1 . 
The  Jewish  nation,  then,  according  to  Paul,  was 
typified  by  Hagar  ;  the  Church  of  God  within  the 
nation  was  typified  by  Sarah.  Unbelievers  in  the 
Jewish  nation  were  typified  by  Ishmael ;  believers, 
whether  Jew  or  Gentile,  were  typified  by  Isaac. 
The  nation  was  the  object  of  the  Abrahamic  na- 
tional covenant ;  the  Church  of  God  within  and 
without  the  nation  was  the  object  of  the  Abrahamic 
covenant  of  grace.  The  national  covenant  was 
made  with  Jews  as  Jews,  the  covenant  of  grace 
was  made  with  Jews  and  Gentiles  as  believers. 
The  privileges  of  the  first  covenant  were  attained  by 
birth,  the  privileges  of  the  second  by  a  new  birth. 


188        INFANT  BAPTISM   NOT   WAURANTED  BY 

Faith  alone  was  no  introduction  into  the  first,  de- 
scent alone  was  no  introduction  into  the  second. 
Many  Gentiles  who  triumphed  in  Christ  were  ex- 
cluded from  the  one  ;  all  the  Jews  who  rejected 
Christ  were  excluded  from  the  other.  Cornelius 
had  no  part  in  the  one,  Caiaphas  none  in  the  other. 
There  were  thus  in  the  Jewish  nation  two  commu- 
nities, the  one  of  the  circumcised  descendants  of 
Abraham,  without  faith,  who  w^ere  in  bondage  ;  the 
second  of  the  believing  descendants  of  Abraham, 
who  were  children  of  God  ;  the  one  within  the  na- 
tional covenant  by  descent,  the  other  within  the 
spiritual  covenant  by  faith.  When,  therefore,  cir- 
cumcision was  administered  to  the  Jewish  infant,  it 
was  a  token  of  the  Abrahamic  national  covenant, 
within  which  the  infant  was  placed  by  birth,  but  no 
token  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant  of  grace,  within 
which  the  infant  was  not  placed  till  it  became  re- 
generate by  grace.  Circumcision  marked  the  infant 
as  a  citizen  of  the  chosen  nation,  and  within  the 
national  covenant,  but  did  not  mark  it  as  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  God,  or  show  it  to  be  within  the 
covenant  of  grace.  Now,  as  circimicision  left  the 
infants  of  the  chosen  nation  outside  of  the  covenant 
of  grace,  it  can  not  prove  that  infants  are  within 
the  covenant  of  grace  now.  On  the  contrary,  as 
each  Jew  who  was  then  born  within  the  Abrahamic 
national  covenant  could  obtain  an  interest  in  the 
Abrahamic  covenant  of  grace  by  faith  alone,  so  by 
faith  alone  must  men  obtain  an  interest  in  it  now. 
Jew  and  Gentile  are  here  alike.  Both  may  be  born 
to  great  providential  and  spiritual  advantages,  but 
both  must  be  new-born  to  obtain  a  share  in  the 


THE  PROMISES  TO  GODLY  PARENTS.  189 

spiritual  and  eternal  blessings  of  the  new  covenant. 
Grace  is  not  matter  of  inheritance  ;  the  infants  of 
regenerate  persons  are  not  therefore  regenerate,  and 
those  of  whose  regeneration  we  can  have  no  proof 
ought  not  to  receive  the  seal  of  regeneration.  Faith 
must  be  developed  and  professed  before  baptism, 
which  is  its  token,  can  be  rightly  administered ;  and 
the  circumcision  of  infants  is  no  proof  that  they 
should  be  baptized. 

Section  III.    Infant  Baptism  not  ivarranted  by 
the  Promises  of  God  to  Godly  Parents. 

Some  excellent  men  derive  the  duty  of  baptizing 
infants  from  the  promises  which  God  has  given  in 
his  word  to  the  children  of  godly  parents.  The  priv- 
ileges of  such  children  have  been  stated  by  two 
estimable  authors  lately  in  the  following  terms  : 
<'  The  promises  made  to  the  children  of  believers 
are  exceeding  rich  and  numerous.  .  .  .  See,  then,  in 
virtue  of  these  promises,  the  true  position  of  the 
children  of  believers  before  the  Lord.  They  are  par- 
takers of  covenant  love,  pronounced  an  heritage  of 
the  Lord,  and  blessed  by  him,  with  explicit  prom- 
ises of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  a  new  heart,  under  the 
Savior's  express  testimony.  '  Of  such  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,'  already  from  infancy  admitted  by  cir- 
cumcision into  the  Jewish  Church,  and  pronounced 
holy  by  an  inspired  apostle.  .  .  .  How  good  is  the 
Lord  I  Meeting  the  strongest  wishes  of  parental 
love,  he  entails  upon  the  posterity  of  his  people  the 
grace  of  his  covenant.  .  .  .  The  salvation  of  the  in- 
fant of  the  believer  is  assured.  ...  If  such  prom- 
ises of  spiritual  blessings  already  belong  to  children, 


190     INFANT    BAPTISM    NOT    WARRANTED    BY 

on  what  ground  can  the  sign  and  seal  of  the  prom- 
ises be  withheld  from  them  ?  If  the  greater  be 
given,  why  shall  the  less  be  withheld  ?  St.  Peter 
argued  most  forcibly  respecting  Cornelius  and  those 
who  heard  the  word  with  him  on  whom  the  Holy 
Ghost  had  fallen.  '  Can  any  man  forbid  water,  that 
these  should  not  be  baptized  which  have  received  the 
Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  we  V  So  we  may  argue  in 
the  case  of  infants.  They  are  partakers  of  the  prom- 
ise ;  let  us  show  our  faith  in  that  promise  by  giving 
them  its  appointed  sign.  The  repentance  and  faith 
which  is  requisite  for  the  adult  previous  to  baptism, 
is  in  the  case  of  the  infant  supplied  by  the  promises 
of  grace  and  of  the  Spirit  to  them."  Another  ex- 
cellent author  thus  continues  :  "  Baptism  has  ever 
been  considered  by  the  Church  of  Christ  as  that  in- 
itiating sacrament  by  which  the  child  receives  the 
solemn  investiture  of  his  privileges  as  a  believer  in 
Christ.  .  .  .  Invested  with  the  high  distinction  of  a 
member  of  Christ,  his  parent  will  teach  him  that 
this  is  no  futile  designation,  that  his  privileges  are 
real  and  substantial.  .  .  .  This  Christian  parent  looks 
upon  his  child  really  as  a  member  of  Christ,  endeav- 
ors to  invest  him  with  all  the  privileges  to  which 
he  is  entitled  as  a  child  of  God,  and  considers  that 
he  has  an  unquestionable  title  to  the  inheritance  of 
glory.  .  .  .  With  what  a  sincere  effusion  of  holy 
gratitude  will  the  faithful  parent,  sponsor,  and  be- 
liever unite  in  those  expressions  of  praise,  '  We  give 
thee  hearty  thanks,  most  merciful  Father,  first,  that 
it  hath  pleased  thee  to  regenerate  this  infant  with 
thy  Holy  Spirit.'  Not  to  confer  on  him  the  sign 
only,  but  the  thing  signified  also  ;  not  to  impart  the 


THE    PROiMISES    TO    GODLY    PARENTS.         191 

seal  only,  but  to  bestow  an  earnest  of  the!  blessings 
sealed  ;  not  only  to  wash  the  child  with  the  out- 
ward emblem  of  water,  but  inwardly  to  communi- 
cate the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  cleanses 
from  sin.  Secondly,  '  To  receive  him  for  thine  own 
child  by  adoption.'  Not  merely  to  give  him  a 
Christian  name,  and  to  enroll  liim  nominally  among 
thy  children,  but  really  and  truly  to  receive  him 
into  thy  family  of  grace  as  thine  own  adopted  child, 
of  which  thou  hast  given  an  assurance  by  regenera- 
ting him  by  thy  Holy  Spirit.  '  And  to  incorporate 
him  into  thy  Holy  Church,'  to  which  body  he  is  as 
vitally  united  by  faith  as  the  member  constitutes  a 
part  of  the  body.  And  this  child  is  now  dead  to 
sin,  living  unto  righteousness,  and  is  buried  with 
Christ  in  his  death.  .  .  .  Unless  in  a  judgment  of 
faith  and  charity  this  child  is  a  member  of  Christ, 
the  child  of  God,  and  an  inheritor  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  ;  unless  he  is  a  lively  member  of  the 
Church  ;  unless  he  is  really  regenerated  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  received  as  God's  own  child  by  adoption,  and 
incorporated  into  the  holy  Church  ;  unless,  in  an- 
swer to  the  faithful  prayers  of  himself  (the  sponsor), 
the  parents,  and  the  Church,  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
sanctifying  him  as  one  of  the  elect  people  of  God, 
and  being  one  so  truly  blessed,  he  shall  ever  remain 
in  the  number  of  his  faithful  and  elect  children,  with 
what  hope  of  success  could  a  Christian  man  accept 
the  office  of  a  sponsor?"  Believing  all  this,  the 
sponsor  is  urged  to  address  the  child  thus  :  "  As  you 
are  now  a  child  of  his  adoption,  you  are  at  all  times 
acceptable  to  him,  and  his  ear  is  ever  open  to  hear 
you.   .   .   .  Remember  what  blessed  privileges  you 


192     INFANT    BAPTISM    NOT    WARRANTED    BY 

were  admitted  to  at  your  baptism.  You  were  first 
made  a  member  of  Christ.  .  .  .  Now  I  expect  the 
evidences  that  you  are  as  truly  incorporated  into,  or 
become  a  member  of  Christ's  mystical  body,  as  that 
my  arm  or  my  leg  are  a  part  of  this  my  natural 
body.  ...  As  you  were  at  your  baptism  made  a 
member  of  Christ,  you  were,  in  virtue  of  this  con- 
nection with  Jesus  Christ,  then  made  the  child  of 
God  also.  As  God  is  his  Father,  so  he  is  now  your 
Father  ;  not  by  nature,  but  by  adoption  and  grace. 
And  being  a  child  of  God,  you  are  an  inheritor  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  If  a  child  then,  an  heir, 
heir  of  God,  and  joint-heir  with  Christ,  enjoying  the 
privilege  of  a  child,  heaven  is  given  you  as  your  ev- 
erlasting inheritance.  God  regards  you  as  a  portion 
of  his  Son,  a  member  of  his  very  body  ;  and  with  the 
love  wherewith  he  loves  him,  he  loves  you  also." 

As  all  faith  must  rest  upon  the  promise  of  God, 
and  every  expectation  which  is  beyond  the  promises 
of  God  is  presumption,  not  faith,  let  us  now  consider 
what  ground  is  afforded  by  the  word  of  God  for  con- 
sidering children  as  entitled  to  baptism,  because  they 
are,  through  the  promises  of  God,  members  of  Christ, 
children  of  God,  and  inheritors  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  The  promises  which  these  pious  Psedo- 
Baptist  authors  adduce  are  the  following  : 

I.  "  I,  the  Lord  thy  God,  am  a  jealous  God,  vis- 
iting the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children 
unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  them  that 
hate  me,  and  showing  mercy  unto  thousands  of  them 
that  love  me  and  keep  my  commandments,"  Exod., 
XX.,  5,  6  ;  Deut.,  v.,  9  ;  Exod.,  xxxiv.,  7  ;  Numb., 
xiv.,  18.      "Know,  therefore,   that   the  Lord   thy 


THE  PROMISES  TO  GODLY  PARENTS.    193 

God,  he  is  God,  the  faithful  God,  which  keepeth 
covenant  and  mercy  with  them  that  love  him  and 
keep  his  commandments  to  a  thousand  generations," 
Deut.,  vii.,  9.  "  The  mercy  of  the  Lord  is  from  ev- 
erlasting to  everlasting  upon  them  that  fear  him, 
and  his  righteousness  unto  children's  children  ;  to 
such  as  keep  his  covenant,  and  to  those  who  remem- 
ber his  commandments  to  do  them,"  Ps.  ciii.,  17, 18. 
«'  My  righteousness  shall  be  forever,  and  my  salva- 
tion from  generation  to  generation,"  Isa.,  li.,  8  ;  see, 
also,  6.  "  His  mercy  is  on  them  that  fear  him  from 
generation  to  generation,"  Luke,  i.,  50. 

If  these  were  promises  to  the  children  of  believers, 
no  age  is  specified,  and  it  would  prove  nothing  re- 
specting the  conversion  and  baptism  of  infants.  But 
there  is  no  reference  to  children  in  them.  If  they 
related  to  children,  they  would  declare  that  God 
shows  mercy  to  the  whole  posterity  of  each  believer 
as  long  as  the  world  shall  last ;  consequently,  that 
aU  the  descendants  of  any  pious  men  in  past  ages 
now  alive  are  within  the  covenant  of  grace.  The 
extravagance  of  this  interpretation  shows  that  it  is 
false  ;  and  if  so,  then  these  passages  speak  nothing 
of  children,  but  declare  that  God  is  unchangeably 
gracious,  as  long  as  the  world  lasts,  to  all  who  love, 
fear,  and  obey  him.  They  contain  an  invaluable 
assurance  to  all  believers,  but  are  misapplied  when 
they  are  interpreted  of  children. 

II.  God  has  sometimes  shown  special  mercy  to 
children.  When  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram  per- 
ished for  their  rebellion,  the  children  of  Korah  died 
not,  Numb.,  xxvi.,  11.  When  Jonah  was  angry 
at  the  preservation  of  Nineveh,  God  said  to  him, 
-N 


194      INFANT   BAPTISM   NOT   WARRANTED   BY 

"  Should  not  I  spare  Nineveh,  that  great  city,  where- 
in are  more  than  six  score  thousand  persons  that  can 
not  discern  between  their  right  hand  and  their  left 
hand,  and  also  much  cattle?"   Jonah,  iv.,  11. 

But  if  God  spared  the  lives  of  these  children,  this 
is  no  proof  of  their  salvation.  And  if  he  has  shown 
mercy  to  children,  he  has  also  shown  just  severity 
toward  them.  While  the  children  of  Korah  were 
saved,  the  children  of  Dathan  and  Abiram  perished, 
Numb.,  xvi.,  27,  33.  If  the  children  of  Nineveh 
were  saved,  those  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  perished 
in  the  fire,  and  those  of  the  whole  world  in  the  flood, 
Gen.,  xix.,  24  ;  2  Pet.,  ii.,  5.  And  if  the  compas- 
sionate mention  of  the  children  of  Nineveh  shows 
that  children  may  be  baptized,  then  the  compassion- 
ate mention  of  the  cattle  must  show  the  same  thing 
of  them.  All  such  texts,  therefore,  prove  nothing 
respecting  the  regeneration  and  baptism  of  infants. 

III.  Various  promises  have  been  made  to  the 
children  of  Abraham  : 

"  All  the  land  which  thou  seest,  to  thee  will  I 
give  it  and  to  thy  seed  forever,"  Gen.,  xiii.,  15  ;  see 
XV.,  5j  18.  "I  will  establish  my  covenant  between 
me  and  thee,  and  thy  seed  after  thee  in  their  gener- 
ations for  an  everlasting  covenant,  to  be  a  God  unto 
thee  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee,"  Gen.,  xvii.,  7  ;  see, 
also,  verse  19.  "The  Lord  had  a  delight  in  thy 
fathers  to  love  them,  and  he  chose  their  seed  after 
them,"  Deut,,  x.,  15.  "When  thou  shalt  return 
unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  shalt  obey  his  voice  ac- 
cording to  all  that  I  command  thee,  thou  and  thy 
children,  with  all  thine  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul 
,  .  .  the  Lord  thy  Gtid  will  circumcise  thine  heart 


THE  PROMISES  TO  GODLY  PARENTS.    195 

and  the  heart  of  thy  seed,  to  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thine  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul,  that  thou 
niayest  live,"  Deut.,  xxx.,  2,  6. 

These  promises  were  conditional,  not  ahsolute  ; 
they  secured  external  blessings,  but  not  grace  ;  they 
left  the  children  to  which  they  referred  unconverted 
and  unblessed  ;  they  have  issued  in  the  rejection  of 
the  nation  for  their  sins,  and  therefore  they  can  con- 
vey no  promise  of  grace  to  the  children  of  believers, 
nor  establish  the  right  of  such  children  to  baptism ; 
and  when  they  are  explained  to  declare  that  the 
children  of  believers  shall  have  grace  and  salvation, 
they  are  misapplied. 

IV.  Various  promises  have  been  made  of  perpet- 
ual blessings  to  the  Church  of  Christ,  among  which 
are  the  following  : 

"  Sing,  O  barren,  thou  that  didst  not  bear  ;  break 
forth  into  singing,  and  cry  aloud,  thou  that  didst  not 
travail  with  child  ;  for  more  are  the  children  of  the 
desolate  than  the  children  of  the  married  wife,  saith 
the  Lord.  .  .  .  All  thy  children  shall  be  taught  of 
the  Lord  ;  and  great  shall  be  the  peace  of  thy  chil- 
dren," Isa.,  liv.,  1,13.  '^Jerusalem  which  is  above 
is  free,  which  is  the  mother  of  us  all.  For  it  is 
written,  Rejoice,  thou  barren  that  bearest  not ;  break 
forth  and  cry,  thou  that  travailest  not ;  for  the  des- 
olate hath  many  more  children  than  she  which  hath 
an  husband,"  Gal.,  iv.,  26,  27.  "It  is  written  in 
the  prophets.  And  they  shall  be  all  taught  of  God. 
Every  man,  therefore,  that  hath  heard,  and  hath 
learned  of  the  Father,  cometh  unto  me,"  John,  vi., 
45.  "  The  Redeemer  shall  come  to  Zion,  and  unto 
them  that  turn  from  transgression  in  Jacob,  saith 


196      INFANT    BAPTISM    NOT    WARRANTED   BY 

the  Lord.  As  for  me,  this  is  my  covenant  with 
them,  saith  the  Lord ;  my  Spirit  that  is  upon  thee, 
and  my  words  which  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth,  shall 
not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth 
of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed, 
saith  the  Lord,  from  henceforth  and  forever,"  Isa., 
lix.,  20,  21. 

It  is  obvious  that  these  and  similar  promises, 
which  are  made  to  believers  as  the  children  of  Zion 
in  successive  generations,  speak  nothing  whatever  of 
the  transmission  of  piety  from  father  to  son  ;  they 
declare  the  perpetuity  of  the  Church,  as  Matt.,  xvi., 
18,  but  are  totally  silent  respecting  the  natural  de- 
scendants of  believers.  And  if  they  are  interpreted 
to  declare  that  piety  shall  descend  from  father  to  son 
in  unbroken  succession  to  the  end  of  time,  they  are 
misapplied,  and  facts  palpably  contradict,  not  the 
promises  of  the  Almighty,  but  the  misinterpretation 
of  them.  No  instances  of  such  hereditary  godliness 
descending  in  families  from  the  apostolic  days  to  our 
own  can  be  adduced. 

V.  Another  class  of  promises  are  those  which  are 
made  to  the  children  of  believers  according  to  the 
election  of  grace.      Among  these  are  the  following  : 

"  Fear  not,  O  Jacob,  my  servant ;  and  thou,  Jesh- 
urun,  whom  I  have  chosen.  For  I  will  pour  wa- 
ter upon  him  that  is  thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry 
ground  :  I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy  seed,  and 
my  blessing  upon  thy  oflspring.  And  they  shall 
spring  up  as  among  the  grass,  as  willows  by  the 
water-courses.  One  shall  say,  I  am  the  Lord's  ;  and 
another  shall  call  himself  by  the  name  of  Jacob ; 
and  another  shall  subscribe  with  his  hand  unto  the 


THE    PROMISES    TO    GODLY   PARENTS,  197 

Lord,  and  surname  himself  by  the  name  of  Israel," 
Isa.,  xliv.,  2—5. 

This  promise  is  made  to  the  elect  nation,  the  peo- 
ple of  God,  the  Church  of  God  among  the  Jews. — 
Vitringa,  Barnes,  &c.  I  will  assume  that  the  seed 
spoken  of  are  not  the  spiritual  children  of  the  Church, 
as  Vitringa  argues  (see  Isa.,  xxviii.,  22  ;  xliii.,  5  ; 
liv.,  1,  13;  Rom.,  ix.,  6-8;  Gal.,  iv.,  25),  but 
the  children  of  believers. — Alexander,  Barnes,  &c. 
Then  it  is  evident,  1 .  That  the  blessing  is  not  prom- 
ised to  all  the  children,  but  to  "one"  and  "another" 
(5),  according  to  the  sovereign  grace  of  God,  to  the 
elect  of  God  (Rom.,  ix.,  6—8  ;  xi.,  5—7,  28) ;  and 
to  baptize  all  the  children  of  believers,  as  though  all 
were  thus  chosen,  is  to  overlook  and  to  dishonor  this 
sovereignty  of  God.  2.  There  is  a  promise  that  the 
elect  children  of  believers  shall  make  a  profession  of 
religion  (5),  but  there  is  no  promise  of  regeneration 
in  infancy.  To  baptize  infants  as  regenerate  is, 
therefore,  wholly  beyond  the  promise ;  to  receive 
youthful  believers  to  profess  their  faith  by  baptism 
is  exactly  according  to  the  promise.  3.  There  is  a 
promise  that  God  will  bless  the  children  of  believ- 
ers, but  the  means  are  not  specified  ;  and  to  assume 
that  infant  baptism  is  the  mean  is  to  assume  the 
question  under  discussion,  and  to  prescribe  means 
and  times  to  God. 

"  Behold,  I  create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth. 
.  .  .  The  child  shall  die  an  hundred  years  old  .  .  .  As 
the  days  of  a  tree  are  the  days  of  my  people,  and 
my  elect  shall  long  enjoy  the  work  of  their  hands. 
They  shall  not  labor  in  vain,  nor  bring  forth  for 
trouble  ;  for  they  are  the  seed  of  the  blessed  of  the" 


198       INFANT  BAPTISM  NOT  WARRANTED  BY 

Lord,  and  their  offspring  with  them.  The  wolf  and 
the  lamb  shall  feed  together,  and  the  lion  shall  eat 
straw  like  the  bullock,"  &c.,  Isa.,  Ixv.,  17,  20,  22- 
23,  25. 

1 .  This  promise  is  to  be  fully  accomplished  when 
the  latter-day  glory  is  come  ;  when  he  v/ho  dies  at 
the  age  of  one  hundred  years  will  be  accounted  a 
child,  when  men  live  as  long  as  the  oak  and  the  ce- 
dar, and  when  wild  beasts  become  as  the  lamb. 

2.  Even  then  God  is  sovereign  to  elect  whom  he 
will,  and  all  the  children  of  believers  will  not  be 
blessed  (Rev.,  xx.,  8,  9) ;  nor  is  it  said  that  even  the 
elect  will  be  blessed  in  infancy.  To  baptize,  there- 
fore, children  now  on  the  ground  of  this  promise 
would  be  a  manifest  misinterpretation  of  it. 

*'  It  shall  come  to  pass  afterward  that  I  will  pour 
out  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh ;  and  your  sons  and 
your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  your  old  men  shall 
dream  dreams,  your  young  men  shall  see  visions, 
and  also  upon  the  servants  and  upon  the  handmaids 
in  those  days  will  I  pour  out  my  Spirit,"  Joel,  ii., 
28,  29.  "  Then  Peter  said  unto  them,  Repent,  and 
be  baptized,  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  the  promise  is  unto 
you  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off, 
even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call,"  Acts, 
ii.,  38,  39.  Upon  this  verse  some  argue  that,  as 
the  promise  of  the  Spirit  is  to  the  children  of  all  be- 
lievers, they  may  receive  baptism  as  the  sign  of  that 
superior  gift ;  but  observe  :  1 .  The  apostle  here  ad- 
dressed the  multitude  as  believers  or  not.  If  as  be- 
lievers, then  he  baptized  the  three  thousand  simply 


TUE  rROiMIcJES  TO  GuDLV  PAREXT.S,  199 

as  believers  ;  and  as  their  children  are  not  mention- 
ed, they  were  not  baptized,  and,  consequently,  the 
children  of  believers  ought  not,  as  such,  to  be  bap- 
tized. 2.  If  he  addressed  them  not  as  beUevers,  but 
as  unconverted,  then  the  promise  was  only  theirs  con- 
ditionally, that  is,  they  would  receive  the  promised 
gifts  of  the  Spirit  if  they  believed.  See  verse  38. 
In  such  case  the  promise  was  only  conditional  to 
them,  and  therefore  only  conditional  to  their  chil- 
dren ;  the  Spirit  was  ofiered  to  them  upon  their  be- 
lieving. 3.  The  children  could  only  receive  the 
promise  in  the  same  sense  as  the  parents  ;  and  as 
the  parents  would  experience  the  promise  only  upon 
believing,  so  their  children  could  experience  it  in  the 
same  way  alone.  It  was  not  made  absolute  to  par- 
ents, why  then  to  their  children  ?  It  was  made  to 
those  parents  alone  who  believed  ;  why  not,  then,  to 
those  children  who  believed  ?  As  believing  parents 
could  receive  the  Spirit,  so  would  believing  children 
and  no  others.  As  the  promise  was  made  to  chil- 
dren, so  it  was  to  slaves  and  to  the  heathen  (Joel, 
ii.,  28,  29) ;  "to  all  afar  off,"  Acts,  ii.,  39  ;  Isai- 
ah, Ivii.,  19  ;  Eph.,  ii.,  13.  And  if  it  included  all 
the  children,  it  no  less  included  slaves  and  heathens, 
all  of  whom  should  be  baptized  no  less  than  the  in- 
fants of  believers.  4.  If  it  be  objected  that  the  apos- 
tle limited  the  promise  to  those  among  the  heathen 
who  should  be  called,  not  merely  invited  (Matt.,  xx., 
16),  but  called  by  grace  (Rom.,  viii.,  28,  30  ;  1 
Cor.,  i.,  23,  24  ;  2  Peter,  i.,  10),  I  answer  that  the 
promise  is  equally  limited  to  the  "called"  multitude 
and  their  "called"  children.  All  among  the  Jew- 
ish multitude,  among  their  children,  and  among  the 


•200       INFANT  BAPTISM  NOT   WARRANTED  UY 

heathen  who  would  believe,  should  receive  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  promise,  and  none  others.  There  is 
here  no  promise  to  all  the  children  of  believers,  nor 
any  specification  of  the  time  when  even  the  elect 
should  be  blessed  ;  and  to  baptize  all  the  infant  chil- 
dren of  believers  as  regenerate  upon  the  authority 
of  these  two  texts,  is  to  misinterpret  them.  5.  If 
children  are  included  with  their  parents  in  the  cov- 
enant of  grace,  then  not  the  Jewish  children  alone, 
who  are  here  mentioned,  are  included,  but  the  chil- 
dren of  all  other  believers  ;  but  the  apostle  express- 
ly says  that  the  promise  belongs  to  those  Gentiles 
only,  whether  adults  or  children,  who  are  called. 
Consequently,  the  promise  belonged  to  those  children 
of  Jewish  believers  who  were  called  by  grace,  and 
to  no  others  ;  and  the  passage  contains  no  promise 
of  grace  to  the  children  of  believers  as  such. 

If  the  promise  is  made  to  all  who  are  called  by 
the  Gospel,  as  Matt.,  xx.,  16,  it  is  only  made  to 
children  on  condition  of  believing  ;  or  if  it  be  given 
to  those  who  are  called  by  the  Spirit  (see  Pv^om.,  viii., 
28,  30  ;  1  Cor.,  i.,  24  ;  2  Peter,  i.,  10),  then  the 
promise  is  indeed  absolute,  but  limited  to  those  who 
are  "  called"  children,  as  well  as  others,  and  speaks 
nothing  of  children  generally. 

Similar  remarks  must  be  made  on  Rom.,  xi.,  28  : 
"As  concerning  the  Gospel,  they  are  enemies  for 
your  sakes,  but  as  touching  the  election,  they  are 
beloved  for  the  fathers'  sakes." 

As  the  majority  of  the  children  of  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob  were  "  enemies"  and  abandoned  to 
destruction  (Matt.,  xxi.,  43  ;  John,  xii.,  39,  40  ; 
Gal.,  iv.,  30  ;  1  Thess.,  ii.,  16) — but  there  was  an 


THE    I'KOMISErf    TU    (iODLV    PARENTS.         201 

elect  few  blessed  for  their  sakes  (John,  vi.,  44,  45, 
64,  65  ;  Rom.,  xi.,  1—7) — so  God  may  bless  whom 
he  will  among  the  children  of  behevers.  No  one 
may  presume  upon  his  birth  (John,  i.,  12,  13  ;  Luke, 
iii.,  8) ;  and  to  baptize  ail  the  children  of  believers 
as  regenerate,  is  to  dishonor  the  sovereignty  of  God, 
and  involve  both  parents  and  children  in  dangerous 
delusion. 

VI.  There  are  other  encouraging  declarations  and 
promises  to  animate  parents  to  use  all  means  for  the 
salvation  of  their  children,  of  which  the  following 
are  the  most  important : 

Children  are  a  blessing  from  God  to  his  servants. 
*<  Lo,  children  are  an  heritage  of  the  Lord,"  i.  e.,  a 
heritage  from  liim ;  "  and  the  fruit  of  the  womb  is 
his  reward,"  Psalm  cxxvii.,  3.  "  Thy  wife  shall  be 
as  a  fruitful  vine  by  the  sides  of  thy  house,  thy 
children  like  olive  plants  round  about  thy  table. 
Lo,  thus  shall  the  man  be  blessed  that  feareth  the 
Lord,"  Psalm  cxxviii.,  3,  4. 

Since  children  are  given  to  behevers  as  a  blessing, 
parents,  if  they  do  their  duty,  may  expect  to  derive 
comfort  from  their  children,  and  not  sorrow. 

A  blessing  is  ;gromised  upon  a  godly  education. 
"  Fathers,  provoke  not  your  children  to  wrath,  but 
bring  them  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord,"  Eph.,  vi,,  4.  "Train  up  a  child  in  the  way 
he  should  go,  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart 
from  it,"  Prov.,  xxii.,  6.  "  Foolishness  is  bound  in 
the  heart  of  a  child,  but  the  rod  of  correction  shall 
drive  it  far  from  him,"  Prov.,  xxii.,  15.  "  Correct 
thy  son,  and  he  shall  give  thee  rest ;  yea,  he  shall 
give  delight  unto  thy  soul,"  Prov.,  xxix.,  17. 


202      IxNFAlSiT    BAPTISM    NOT    WARRANTED    BY"' 

When,  therefore,  Christian  parents  educate  their 
children  carefully,  in  faith,  with  much  prayer,  they 
may  expect  their  conversion. 

The  children  of  consistent  Christians  are  often 
blessed. 

"  The  curse  of  the  Lord  is  in  the  house  of  the 
wicked,  but  he  blesseth  the  habitation  of  the  just," 
Prov,,  iii.,  33. 

Parents,  children,  and  servants,  all  obtain  a  bless- 
ing often  in  the  house  of  a  consistent  Christian,  who 
sets  a  good  example,  and  rules  his  family  according 
to  the  directions  of  the  word  of  God. 

"  I  have  been  young  and  now  am  old,  yet  have  I 
not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging 
bread.  He  is  ever  merciful,  and  lendeth,  and  his 
seed  is  blessed,"  Psalm  xxxvii.,  25,  26  ;  Psalm  cxii., 
2.  "A  good  man  leaveth  an  inheritance  unto  his 
children's  children,"  Prov.,  xiii.,  22.  See,  also, 
Matt.,  vi.,  33  ;  Heb.,  xiii.,  5  ;  1  Pet.,  v.,  7.  A 
Christian  is  under  the  care  of  God,  cultivates  the 
social  and  civic  virtues  which  lead  to  success  in  life, 
recommends  them  to  his  children,  so  that  often  he 
leaves  them  at  his  death  thriving  in  the  world 
through  their  industry,  sense,  and  moral  worth,  with 
the  blessing  of  God. 

"  The  just  man  walketh  in  his  integrity  ;  his 
children  are  blessed  after  him,"  Prov.,  xx.,  7.  Ex- 
ample, authority,  instruction,  influence,  affection, 
prayer,  bring  a  blessing  upon  his  children,  which 
lasts  when  he  is  dead. 

Such  means  God  has  intimated  that  he  will  bless. 

"  I  know  him,  that  he  will  command  his  children 
and  his  household  after  him,  and  they  shall  keep  the 


THE    PROMISED    TO    (JODLY    PARENTS.  203 

way  of  the  Lord,  to  do  justice  and  judgment  ;  that 
the  Lord  may  bring  upon  Abraham  that  which  he 
hath  spoken  of  hira,"  Gen.,  xviii.,  19.  "  They  shall 
be  my  people,  and  I  will  be  their  God.  And  I  will 
give  them  one  heart  and  one  way,  that  they  may 
fear  me  forever,  for  the  good  of  them  and  of  their 
children  after  them,"  Jer.,  xxxii.,  38,  39. 

All  these  promises  and  declarations  show  that 
pious  parents  often  bring  both  temporal  and  spiritual 
blessings  upon  their  children,  but  they  do  not  say 
one  word  about  infancy  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  inti- 
mate that  the  blessing  is  to  be  imparted  to  the  fam- 
ily through  patient  and  consistent  painstaking  in 
doing  good,  through  instruction,  discipline,  example, 
and  prayer.  Hence  there  have  ever  been  except 
cases  standing  painfully  out  to  warn  parents  against 
neglect  and  presumption.  David  certainly  could  not 
mean  that  all  the  children  of  all  righteous  persons 
are  blessed  (Psalm  xxxvii.,  26),  for  he  was  eminent- 
ly pious  himself  (1  Kings,  xv.,  3,  5)  ;  yet  his  son 
Amnon  was  murdered  by  his  brother  Absalom  for 
the  crime  of  incest,  2  Sam.,  xiii.,  29.  Absalom 
was  killed  in  an  attempt  to  dethrone  and  kill  his 
father  (2  Sam.,  xviii.,  14)  ;  and  his  son  Adonijah 
was  executed  as  a  traitor,  1  Kings,  ii.,  24.  Solo- 
mon certainly  could  not  think  that  all  the  children 
of  just  men  are  blessed  after  them  (Prov.,  xx.,  7), 
for  his  son  Rehoboam  was  ungodly  (2  Chron.,  xii., 
1,  14)  ;  and  it  is  evident  that  he  expected  that  his 
son  w^ould  prove  himself  a  fool,  and  bring  mischief 
upon  himself,  Eccles.,  ii.,  17-19.  It  is  impossible 
to  look  at  the  sacred  history  without  seeing  how 
often  the  children  of  godly  men  have  been  ungodly. 


204      INFANT    BAPTIBM    NOT    WARRANTED    BY 

Ham,  the  son  of  Noah,  brought  a  curse  upon  his 
family  (Gen.,  ix.,  24,  25);  Esau,  the  son  of  Isaac, 
was  ungodly  (Gen.,  xxvi.,  34  ;  xxvii.,  41  ;  Mai.,  i., 
3  ;  Heb.,  xii.,  16) ;  the  sons  of  Jacob  conspired  to 
murder  their  brother  Joseph  ;  Nadab  and  Abihu, 
two  of  the  sons  of  Aaron,  were  cut  off  in  their  sin 
(Lev.,  X,,  1);  the  sons  of  Job  were  unlike  their 
father  (Job,  i.,  4,  5)  ;  "  the  sons  of  Eli  were  sons 
of  Belial"  (1  Sam.,  ii.,  12);  Samuel's  sons  were 
unrighteous  judges  (1  Sam.,  viii.,  3) ;  Jehoram,  the 
son  of  pious  King  Jehoshaphat,  was  a  wicked  prince 
(2  Chron.,  xxi.,  6) ;  Ahaz,  the  son  of  Jotham,  was 
wicked  (2  Chron.,  xxvii.,  6  ;  xxviii.,  1,2);  Manas- 
seh,  the  son  of  Hezekiah,  was  outrageously  wicked  (2 
Kings,  xxi.  ;  2  Chron.,  xxxiii.)  ;  and  Jehoiakim,  the 
sonof  Josiah,  was  hkewise  ungodly,  2  Kings,  xxiii.,  37. 
With  these  and  similar  instances  in  view,  what 
sober  person  can  think  that  God  has  promised  to  re- 
generate the  children  of  believers  generally  ?  These 
promises  contain  no  such  assurance. 

One  excellent  author  accounts  for  this  lamentable 
fact  that  godly  parents  are  often  cursed  with  ungod- 
ly children  in  the  following  manner  :  "It  is  true 
that  children,  when  they  come  to  age,  may,  by  per- 
sonal unbelief  and  disobedience,  fall  from  this  grace, 
giving  another  painful  example  of  the  stubbornness 
of  evil  against  all  God's  gracious  dealings  ;  but  let 
God  be  true,  and  every  man  a  liar.  No  experi- 
enced Christian,  who  knows  himself,  will  charge  the 
fault  of  ungodly  children  on  God's  failure  in  his  own 
promise,  but  rather  on  his  own  or  his  children's  un- 
belief and  inconsistencies.  He  will  with  his  whole 
soul  clear  God,  however  he  condemns  himself  or  his 


THE  PROMISES  TO  GODLY  PARENTS.     205 

own  offspring.  '  If  a  covenanted  people  break  their 
part  of  the  covenant,  they  shall  know  his  breach  of 
promise  ;  that  is,  that  he  is  not  obliged  to  perform 
what  he  had  promised,  and  would  have  performed, 
if  they  had  performed  their  duty  toward  him.'  " — 
Bickersteth,  109,  110.=* 

Children,  then,  it  seems,  may  remain  unregen- 
erate  :  1st,  through  the  inconsistency  of  even  expe- 
rienced Christian  parents  ;  2d,  through  their  own 
unbelief  and  inconsistency  ;  and  so  both  parents  and 
children  may  experience  God's  breach  of  promise. 
In  truth,  the  defects  of  even  very  eminent  and  very 
pious  parents  so  often  cause  this  failure  (of  which 
many  painful  examples  occur  to  me  at  this  moment), 
as  to  make  the  breach  of  promise  much  more  fre- 
quent than  its  fulfillment.  Comparatively  few  chil- 
dren manifest  early  piety,  and  numbers  grow  up  from 
a  thoughtless  childhood  to  an  irreligious  manhood, 
so  that  it  is  utterly  improper  to  assume  that  these 
promises  are  generally  fulfilled,  when  they  are  de- 
pendent upon  conditions  which  a  large  proportion  of 
pious  parents  are  proved,  by  the  facts,  not  to  have 
kept.  It  is  asserted  that  God  has  promised  to  re- 
generate the  infants  of  believers,  if  those  believers 
are  not  inconsistent,  as  he  promised  that  the  people 
of  Israel  should  be  a  peculiar  treasure  to  him  if  they 
would  obey  his  voice  (Exod.,  xix.,  5) ;  but  if  pious 
parents  are  inconsistent,  as  Israel  was  disobedient, 

*  Is  not  this  statement  too  much  like  John,  ix.,  2?  Does  it  not 
imply  that  God  punishes  children  with  the  loss  of  baptismal  bless- 
ings for  the  sins  which  he  foresees  that  they  will  after  commit  ? 
Or  does  the  excellent  author  mean  that  the  children  are  indeed 
regenerate,  but  afterward  fall  away  ?  An  opinion  which  I  am  un- 
willing to  ascribe  to  him. 


206       INFANT  BAPTISM  NOT  WARRANTED  BY 

the  parents  forfeit  tlie  promises  made  to  them,  as 
the  nation  forfeited  the  promises  made  to  it.  And 
how  can  any  parent,  with  moderate  sobriety  of  mind, 
claim  and  rest  upon  these  promises,  which  he  knows 
that  his  own  inconsistency  may  defeat  ?  "What 
amount  of  consistency  may  be  necessary  to  secure 
the  regeneration  of  his  infant,  he  knows  not ;  but  he 
knows  that  many  eminent  Christians  have  had  un- 
regenerate  children,  and  that  he  has  many  faults. 
Under  these  circumstances,  has  he  not  more  reason 
to  expect  the  breach  of  the  promise  than  its  fulfill- 
ment, and  more  reason  to  defer  the  baptism  of  his 
child  as  probably  unregenerate,  than  cause  to  bap- 
tize it  as  probably  regenerate  ? 

But,  indeed,  this  statement  sweeps  away  the  whole 
doctrine  of  infant  baptism,  with  its  imaginary  fabric 
of  baptismal  privileges  ;  for,  since  the  regeneration 
of  the  child  is  suspended,  not  only  on  the  faith  and 
consistency  of  the  parent,  but  also  on  the  subsequent 
faith  and  consistency  of  the  child,  the  inconsistency 
of  either  party  securing  the  breach  of  the  promise, 
how  do  the  children  of  believers  differ  from  all  other 
children  ?  If  the  children  of  believers  are  unbeliev- 
ing and  inconsistent,  the  promises  are  no  more,  it 
seems,  fulfilled  to  them  than  to  any  other  children  ; 
and  if  the  children  of  unbelievers  are  believing  and 
consistent,  they  are  certainly  as  much  accepted  in 
Christ  as  the  children  of  believers  ;  so  that  there  is, 
in  this  respect,  no  difierence  between  these  two 
classes,  and  there  is  no  more  reason  to  baptize  the 
children  of  believers  than  the  children  of  unbeliev- 
ers. Since  the  fulfillment  of  the  promises  depends 
upon  the  faith  of  the  children,  they  may  be  wholly 


THE  PROMISES  TO  GODLY  PARENTS,    207 

abortive  ;  and  since  this  may  often  happen,  how  can 
it  be  right  to  baptize  children  as  regenerate  when 
we  have  too  much  reason  to  think  that,  Hke  many 
others  in  similar  circumstances,  their  subsequent  un- 
belief and  inconsistency  Avill  prove  them  to  be  unre- 
generate  ? 

There  are  in  Scripture  great  promises  and  en- 
couraging truths  addressed  to  parents  who  will  do 
th^r  duty  to  their  children.  Since  children  are  de- 
clared to  be  a  blessing  from  God  to  his  servants,  it 
is  not  his  will  that  they  should  be  a  source  of  shame 
and  sorrow  to  them,  Psalm  cxxvii.,  3  ;  cxxviii.,  3, 
4.  A  good  education  is  declared  to  be  generally 
successful  (Prov.,  xxii.,  6  ;  xxix..  17  ;  Eph.,  vi.,  4); 
God  is  ready  to  bless  them  (Isa.,  xliv.,  2—5)  ;  they 
are  often  blessed,  Psalm  xxxvii.,  26  ;  Prov.,  iii.,  26  ; 
xiii.,  22  ;  xx.,  7.  Prompted  by  natural  affection, 
and  sustained  by  grace,  many  parents  have  educated 
their  children  with  great  success.  Like  Hannah, 
they  have  devoted  them  to  God  from  their  infancy 
(1  Sam.,  i.,  28),  heartily  desiring  that  they  should 
glorify  him  in  life,  death,  and  eternity  ;  and,  influ- 
enced by  this  desire,  they  have  "  sought  first  the  king- 
dom of  God"  for  their  children  as  well  as  for  them- 
selves. Matt.,  vi.,  33.  With  this  aim  they  have  se- 
lected their  books,  their  companions,  their  schools, 
the  ministers  by  whom  they  should  be  instructed, 
and  the  pleasures  by  which  they  might  be  gratified. 
Being  themselves  godly,  their  principles  sound,  their 
tempers  amiable,  their  habits  dutiful,  their  conversa- 
tion Christianlike,  their  friends  pious,  their  examples 
have  given  effect  to  all  other  means  which  they  have 
employed  for  the  improvement  of  their  children,  and 


208       INFANT  BAPTISM   NOT  WARRANTED  BY 

each  has  illustrated  the  inspired  saying-,  "  The  just 
man  walketh  in  his  integrity  ;  his  children  are  bless- 
ed after  him,"  Prov.,  xx.,  7. 

Such  parents  have  instructed  their  children  early 
and  thoroughly  in  the  way  of  salvation.  They  have 
made  them  to  see  their  depravity  by  nature  and 
practice,  their  guilt,  danger,  and  helplessness.  Then 
they  have  declared  to  them  the  love  of  God,  as  man- 
ifested in  nature,  providence,  and  redemption.  They 
have  often  explained  to  them  the  love  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  has  saved  his  people  from  the  pun- 
ishment due  to  their  sins  by  suiTering  in  their  stead, 
and  the  condescension  of  the  Holy  Spirit  who  con- 
verts and  sanctifies  such  guilty  sinners.  They  have 
thus  unfolded  to  them  the  free  and  full  salvation 
provided  for  penitent  believers  by  the  love  of  the 
Triune  God,  and  have  urged  them  to  accept  it.  To 
this  end,  also,  they  have  urged  them  to  read  the 
word  of  God,  with  other  useful  books,  and  early  to 
delight  in  secret  prayer.  They  have  taken  pains  to 
let  them  hear  instructive  and  awakening  preaching, 
and  to  give  them  the  advantage  of  pastoral  instruc- 
tion in  Bible  classes,  or  in  other  ways  under  faithful 
ministers.  In  this  manner  they  have  instructed  them 
in  the  truths  of  the  Gospel. 

But,  further,  successful  parents  have  taken  care  to 
govern  as  well  as  to  instruct  their  children,  watch- 
ing over  their  habits  as  well  as  forming  their  opin- 
ions. While  avoiding  capricious,  tyrannical,  and  un- 
wise commands,  they  have  required  entire,  prompt, 
and  cheerful  obedience,  and  have,  at  the  same  time, 
been  indulgent  to  troublesome  infirmities,  and  severe 
toward  every  species  of  immorality.      In  all  these 


THE  PROMISES  TO  GODLY  PARENTS.    209 

eflbrts  they  have  been  anxious  to  place  them  with 
such  teachers  and  companions  as,  instead  of  neutral- 
izing the  influences  of  home,  would  confirm  them. 
Such  parental  government  has  often  formed  lasting 
habits,  according  to  the  well-known  sayings  of  Solo- 
mon :  "  Correct  thy  son,  and  he  shall  give  thee  rest ; 
yea,  he  shall  give  delight  unto  thy  soul."  "  Train  up 
a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go,  and  when  he  is  old 
he  will  not  depart  from  it,"  Prov.,  xxix.,  27  ;  xxii.,  6. 
These  and  all  other  means,  however,  to  be  suc- 
cessful, must  be  combined  with  a  strong  and  opera- 
tive sense  of  the  need  of  divine  grace  in  the  whole 
process  of  a  Christian  education.  No  parents  can 
of  themselves  secure  the  salvation  of  their  children, 
who,  when  they  are  converted,  '•  are  born,  not  of 
blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of 
man,  but  of  God,"  John,  i.,  13.  Without  the  aid 
of  the  Spirit,  efforts  to  convert  sinners  are  fruitless, 
1  Cor.,  iii.,  6.  And  he  converts  whom  he  will,  be- 
stowing his  favor  freely  on  those  who  merit  nothing, 
James,  i.,  18  ;  Phil.,  i.,  12,  13.  Hence  parents  must 
give  effect  to  all  other  means  by  frequent  prayer,  to 
which  habit  the  promises  are  very  large,  Matt.,  vii., 
7,  8  ;  John,  xiv.,  13.  Intercession  has  often  been 
blessed  by  the  Almighty,  Gen.,  xviii.,  23  ;  Exod., 
xxxii.,  14  ;  Numb.,  xiv.,  20.  He  has  graciously 
heard  parental  intercession  (Gen.,  xvii.,  20) ;  inter- 
cession is  agreeable  to  him  (James,  v.,  16);  and 
especially  when  two  parents  unite  to  pray  for  their 
children,  they  may  look  for  his  blessing,  Matt.,  xviii., 
19.  When  a  Christian  education  has  been  con- 
ducted thus,  very  often  have  the  following  promises 
received  an  ample  fulfillment :  "I  will  pour  my 
O 


210     INFANT    BAPTISM    NOT    WARRANTED    BY 

Spirit  upon  thy  seed,  and  my  blessing  upon  thine 
offspring,  and  they  shall  spring  up  as  among  the 
grass,  as  willows  by  the  water- courses.  One  shall 
say,  I  am  the  Lord's  ;  and  another  shall  call  him- 
self by  the  name  of  Jacob  ;  and  another  shall  sub- 
scribe with  his  hand  unto  the  Lord,  and  surname 
himself  by  the  name  of  Israel,"  Isa.,  xliv.,  3—5, 

To  what  affectionate  parent  will  these  terms,  upon 
which  alone  a  blessing  can  be  secured  for  a  family, 
seem  hard  ?  Great  blessings  are  usually  gained  by 
great  labors.  "  In  all  labor  there  is  profit.  .  .  .  The 
soul  of  the  sluggard  desireth  and  hath  nothing,  but 
the  soul  of  the  diligent  shall  be  made  fat."  By  no 
less  exertion  can  parents  bless  their  children.  About 
regeneration  in  infancy  these  texts  speak  nothing, 
and  if  infant  baptism  be  founded  upon  them,  it  has 
no  scriptural  foundation.  And  of  this  many  parents 
who  sprinkle  their  children  seem  to  be  instinctively 
aware,  notwithstanding  the  contrary  instruction  of 
many  of  their  ministers.  For  thus  an  excellent  au- 
thor complains,  imputing  to  unbelief  the  just  and 
unavoidable  conclusions  of  their  understandings : 
"  They  do  not  consider  the  child  as  thus  regenera- 
ted, adopted,  and  incorporated,  and  therefore  they  do 
not  plead  the  promise  for  a  blessing  on  their  educa- 
tion of  him  as  devoted  to  God,  or  call  upon  him  as 
one  invested  with  so  high  privileges  as  a  member  of 
Christ,  a  child  of  God,  and  an  inheritor  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  to  walk  worthy  of  his  high  calling. 
.  .  .  Neither  baptismal  blessings  nor  baptismal  vows 
are  distinctly  presented  to  the  mind  of  the  child,  and 
his  baptism  has  no  practical  purpose.  .  .  .  The  child 
grows  up  without  any  consciousness  of  his  baptismal 


THE  PROMISES  TO  GODLY  PARENTS.    211 

eiijo)nnents  or  privileges ;  and  the  Church,  not  merely 
the  professing,  but  the  spiritual  Church  .  .  .  exercises 
no  faith  in  the  promise,  and  presents  no  prayers  for 
its  accomplishment  toward  him.  Thus,  even  among 
the  pious,  baptism  is  little  more  than  a  dead  letter, 
promises  without  plea  for  their  fulfillment,  vows 
without  concern  to  discharge  them,  a  ceremony  ac- 
quitting them  from  subsequent  interest,  a  sign  signi- 
fying nothing." — Budd,  11,  12. 

But  let  it  be  remembered  that  all  faith  must  rest 
upon  the  promises  of  God,  lying  between  presump- 
tion and  distrust.  Distrust  expects  too  little,  pre- 
sumption expects  too  much  ;  faith  behoves  all  that 
God  has  said,  and  expects  all  that  God  has  prom- 
ised. To  doubt  that  a  blessing  will  follow  Christian 
education  is  distrust,  because  God  has  promised  it ; 
to  assume  the  regeneration  of  children  in  infancy  is 
presumption,  because  God  has  not  promised  it.  Mis- 
applied promises  have  often  led  to  presumption. 
When  Savonarola,  at  Florence,  agreed  to  test  the 
truth  of  his  doctrine  by  walking  through  the  fire, 
because  God  has  said,  "  When  thou  walkest  through 
the  fire  thou  shalt  not  be  burned,"  he  was  presump- 
tuous. When  Mr.  Fletcher,  of  Madeley,  in  his 
youth,  tried  to  dry  up  the  puddles  in  his  road  by 
prayer,  because  Christ  has  said,  "  All  things  what- 
soever ye  shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye  shall 
receive"  (Matt.,  xxi.,  22),  he  was  presumptuous. 
When,  in  our  own  day,  a  number  of  serious  persons 
attempted  to  speak  in  unknown  tongues,  and  to  heal 
the  sick  by  a  touch,  because  Jesus  had  said  that 
such  signs  should  accompany  faith  in  him,  they  also 
were  presumptuous,  Mark,  xvi.,  16,  17.      And  so  it 


212     INFANT    BAPTISM    NOT    WARRANTED    BY 

seems  to  me  that  to  baptize  children  as  regenerate, 
assuming  their  regeneration  without  any  warrant, 
either  from  Scripture  or  from  facts,  is  no  less  pre- 
sumptuous. As  no  error  is  innoxious,  so  this,  I  fear, 
leads  parents  in  many  cases  to  substitute  the  excited 
devotion  of  a  short  half  hour  for  the  patient  labor  of 
years.  It  is  so  pleasant  to  the  indolent  and  worldly 
to  believe  that  a  few  prayers  and  a  momentary  de- 
sire to  commit  a  child  to  the  care  of  God  may  accom- 
plish its  regeneration  and  salvation,  and  so  easy  thus 
to  extinguish  the  salutary  fears  for  its  welfare  which 
would  have  led  to  a  careful  Christian  education,  that 
this  misapplication  of  the  promises  of  God  is,  I  fear, 
extensively  injurious. 

Section  IV.  Baptism  of  Infants  not  ivarranted  by 
the  Blessmg  tvhich  Christ  pronoivnced  upon  lit- 
tle Children. 

Many  think  that  the  practice  of  baptizing  infants 
is  authorized  by  the  blessing  which  Jesus  pronounced 
upon  the  little  children  who  were  brought  to  him. 
The  following  is  the  narrative  of  the  transaction  by 
Mark,  Matthew,  and  Luke  : 

"And  they  brought  young  children  (infants,  Luke, 
xviii.,  15)  to  him,  that  he  should  touch  them  (put 
his  hands  on  them  and  pray.  Matt.,  xix.,  13).  And 
his  disciples  rebuked  those  that  brought  them.  But 
when  Jesus  saw  it  he  was  much  displeased,  and 
(having  called  them  to  him,  Luke)  said  unto  them. 
Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  for- 
bid them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  not  receive 
the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE    CHILDREN.         213 

enter  therein.  And  he  took  them  up  in  his  arms, 
put  his  hands  upon  them,  and  blessed  them,"  Mark, 
X.,  13-16. 

Of  those  who  brought  these  infants  to  Christ  we 
know  nothing.  They  might  be  parents  or  other 
friends,  pious  or  still  unconverted  ;  but,  having  the 
children  under  their  charge,  they  brought  them  to 
Jesus  to  receive  his  blessing  and  the  benefit  of  his 
prayers.  Although  the  disciples  of  Jesus  had  bap- 
tized many  converts  (John,  iii.,  22,  26  ;  iv.,  1),  these 
persons  did  not  bring  their  children  to  be  baptized, 
which  may  lead  us  to  think  that  infants  were  not 
admitted  to  baptism  by  our  Lord,  but  that  they 
might  receive  his  benediction  ;  and  when  they  sought 
the  presence  of  Jesus  for  this  purpose,  they  were  re- 
proved by  the  disciples  for  so  doing.  This  affords 
evidence  that  our  Lord  did  not  then  sanction  infant 
baptism  ;  for,  had  he  done  so,  the  disciples  would 
not  have  reproved  those  who  were  fulfilling  a  cus- 
tomary duty,  but  would  have  known  it  to  be  his  will 
that  infants  should  be  brought  to  him.  Baptism, 
then,  being  unthought  of  by  any  of  the  persons  con- 
cerned, the  apostles  blamed  these  friends  of  the  chil- 
dren for  seeking  to  disturb  him  by  their  requests  for 
infants  and  little  children,  who  were  beneath  his 
notice.  At  which  Jesus  was  much  displeased,  and, 
calling  the  children  to  him,  he  took  them  up  in  his 
arms,  blessed  them,  and  said,  "  Suffer  the  little  chil- 
dren to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  God."  Here  four  questions 
meet  us.  1.  What  our  Lord  meant  by  "  the  king- 
dom of  heaven."  2.  What  is  meant  by  the  expres- 
sion that  the  kingdom  is  "of"  any  persons.    3.  Who 


214      INFANT   BAPTISM   NOT    WARKANTED   BY 

are  the  persons  indicated  by  the  word  "  such."  And, 
4.  How  these  words  were  adapted  to  show  the  disci- 
ples that  they  had  unjustly  sought  to  prevent  the 
children  from  being  brought  to  Christ. 

1.  The  "kingdom"  means  generally,  if  not  al- 
ways, the  reign  of  God  over  men  by  his  Spirit  in 
earth  and  in  heaven.  It  does  not  describe  his  prov- 
idential rule  over  all  worlds  and  all  beings,  but  his 
spiritual  rule  over  his  chosen  people,  begun  on  earth 
and  completed  in  heaven,  as  the  following  texts  suf- 
ficiently evince  : 

"  From  that  time  Jesus  began  to  preach  and  to 
say,  Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 
hand,"  Matt.,  iv.,  17.  "  When  he  was  demanded 
of  the  Pharisees  when  the  kingdom  of  God  should 
come,  he  answered  them  and  said,  The  kingdom  of 
God  cometh  not  with  observation.  .  .  .  Behold,  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  within  you,"  Luke,  xvii.,  20,  21. 
"  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but 
righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost," 
Rom.,  xiv.,  17.  "  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  in 
word,  but  in  power,"  1  Cor.,  iv.,  20.  "  The  Father 
hath  made  us  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance 
of  the  saints  in  light  ;  who  hath  delivered  us  from 
the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath  translated  us  into 
the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son,"  Col.,  i.,  13;  see,  also, 
Matt.,  xvL,  28  ;  Heb.,  xii.,  28  ;  1  Thess.,  ii.,  12  ; 
2  Thess.,  i.,  5,  &c.,  &;c. 

2.  The  expression  "  of  such  is  the  kingdom" — 
rojv  ToiovTG)v  egtIv  7]  (iaatXeia — means,  not  that  the 
kingdom  is  composed  of  such,  but  that  it  belongs  to 
such,  it  is  theirs.  The  following  passages  are  exact- 
ly parallel :   "Of  them  is  the  kingdom,  avToJv  ea^ 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE    CHILDREN.        215 

rlv  Tj  (iaaiXeia,  Matt.,  v.,  3,  10.  <<  Of  thee  is  the 
kingdom,  gov  earlv  rj  (SaaLXeia,''  Matt.,  vi.,  14.  It 
is  common  in  the  New  Testament  to  speak  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  as  a  possession.  God  is  said  to 
give  it  (Luke,  xii.,  32) ;  believers  inherit  it  (Matt., 
XXV.,  34  ;  1  Cor.,  vi.,  9,  10  ;  xv.,  50  ;  James,  ii., 
5) ;  they  receive  it  (Mark,  x.,  1 5 ;  Luke,  xviii.,  1 7 ; 
Heb.,  xii.,  28) ;  it  belongs  to  them,  Luke,  vi.,  20. 
In  harmony  with  which  passages  this  text  declares 
that  the  kingdom  belongs  to  those  whom  he  men- 
tions. 

3.  The  persons  indicated  by  the  word  "  such"  are 
those  who,  through  grace,  are  childlike  persons,  such 
as  little  children  are,  and  not  the  children  them- 
selves. This  is  shown  by  the  use  of  the  word  "  such," 
roLovrol,  in  the  following  passages  :  "  With  many 
such  parables,  i.  e.,  parables  like  these,  spake  he  the 
word  unto  them,"  Mark,  iv.,  33.  "Many  other 
such  like  things  ye  do,"  Mark,  vii.,  8,  13.  "Moses 
in  the  law  commanded  us  that  such,  rag  roLavrag, 
persons  of  this  character,  should  be  stoned,"  John, 
viii.,  5.  '•  They  which  commit  such  things,  rd  roL- 
avra,  i.  e.,  things  like  these,  are  worthy  of  death," 
Rom.,  i.,  32.  "  Receive  him,  therefore,  in  the  Lord 
with  all  gladness,  and  hold  such — rovg  roLovrovg, 
persons  of  this  character — in  reputation,"  Phil.,  ii., 
29  ;  see,  also,  Rom.,  ii.,  2  ;  1  Cor.,  vii.,  28  ;  Gal., 
v.,  21,  23  ;  1  Tim.,  vi.,  5.  In  all  these  cases  the 
word  '•  such,"  with  or  without  the  article,  does  not 
mean  the  persons  or  things  previously  spoken  of,  but 
persons  or  things  like  them,  including  them  or  not, 
as  the  case  may  be.  Hence,  in  this  text,  the  word 
'*  such"  must  mean  persons  like  children,  not  the 


216      INFANT   BAPTISM    NOT    WARRANTED   BY 

children  themselves.  Had  our  Lord  meant  to  de- 
clare that  the  kingdom  belongs  to  children,  he  would 
have  said  either,  "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  me,  avTCJv  yap  eariv  tj  jSaaLXela,  for  theirs  is 
the  kingdom  of  heaven;"  or  else,  "  Suffer  these  chil- 
dren to  come  to  me,  for  of  such  children,  Totovroiv 
TraidLCJV,  is  the  kingdom."  But  since  he  neither 
specified  the  children  nor  said  that  the  kingdom  he- 
longed  to  them,  it  is  plain  that  he  meant  all  children 
should  be  suffered  to  come  to  him,  because  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  belongs  to  persons  who  are  like  them. 

Since  our  Lord  declares  that  children  should  come 
to  him  because  the  kingdom  of  heaven  "belongs  to 
such,"  if  by  "  such"  he  meant  the  children,  then  the 
kingdom  belongs  to  all  children  ;  it  belongs  to  them, 
therefore,  either  before  they  are  brought  to  Christ, 
and  is  the  reason  why  they  are  to  be  brought,  or 
else  it  belongs  to  them  after  they  are  brought.  If 
the  former  sense  be  preferred,  it  follows  that  all  chil- 
dren are  indiscriminately  possessed  of  the  kingdom  ; 
for  the  children  in  the  text  are  distinguished  from 
no  other  children  except  by  the  fact  that  they  were 
brought  to  Christ.  Their  parents  might  be  godly 
or  ungodly,  they  might  be  brought  to  Christ  against 
the  wishes  of  their  parents,  and  yet  they  were  already 
possessed  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  All  children, 
therefore,  are,  before  coming  to  Christ,  the  subjects 
of  grace  and  the  heirs  of  heaven,  and  yet,  at  the 
same  time,  they  are  "children  of  wrath"  (Eph.,  ii., 
3),  which  is  absurd. 

If  it  be  objected  that  these  were  the  children  of 
believers,  I  answer,  the  statement  is  wholly  destitute 
of  evidence ;  for  it  is  neither  said  that  the  persons 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE    CHILDREN.         217 

who  brought  them  to  Christ  were  their  parents,  nor 
whether,  if  they  were  their  parents,  they  were  be- 
hevers. 

But  assuming,  without  any  proof,  that  they  were 
the  children  of  behevers,  unless  it  be  maintained 
against  Scripture  (John,  i.,  12),  and  against  innu- 
merable and  undeniable  facts,  that  all  the  children 
of  all  believers  are  regenerate  in  infancy  before  be- 
ing brought  in  any  sense  to  Christ,  then  it  can  not 
be  said  of  such  children  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  theirs  ;  for  none  except  believers  are  the  subjects 
of  that  kingdom,  as  the  following  passages  testify  : 
"  Except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed  the  right- 
eousness of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no 
case  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  Matt.,  v.,  20. 
"  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  can  not  see  the 
kingdom  of  God.  .  .  .  Except  a  man  be  born  of  wa- 
ter and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  the  kingdom 
of  God,"  John,  iii.,  3,  5.  "  Who  hath  delivered  us 
from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath  translated  us 
into  the  kingdom  of  his  own  dear  Son,"  Col.,  i.,  13, 

It  may  be  thought  that  children  are  here  said  to 
possess  the  kingdom,  not  before  being  brought  to 
Christ,  but  after  being  brought  to  him.  Then  we 
have  to  ask  Avhether  any  can  now  be  brought  to 
Christ  as  those  children  were  ;  and  if  the  kingdom 
belongs  only  to  those  brought  in  the  arms  of  their 
parents  or  nurses  to  Christ,  whether  the  statement 
has  any  application  now  ?  Assuming,  however,  that 
to  ask  our  Lord  to  bless  children,  or  to  bring  them 
to  be  baptized,  is  the  same  thing  as  bringing  them 
10  him,  then  the  statement  is,  that  all  children  for 
whom  any  persons  pray,  or  whom  any  persons  bring 


218     INFANT    BAPTISM    NOT    WARRANTED    BY 

to  be  baptized,  are  regenerate  children,  possessed  of 
divine  grace  and  heirs  of  eternal  glory — a  conclusion, 
the  extravagance  of  vi^hich  is  unhappily  exposed  by 
the  myriads  of  "  baptized  infidels,  baptized  world- 
lings, baptized  ignorants,  baptized  formalists,  bap- 
tized profligates,  who  walk  as  enemies  of  the  cross 
of  Christ." — Bucld,  76. 

But  let  us  understand  our  Lord  to  say  that  per- 
sons who  are  like  children  are  the  subjects  of  his  king- 
dom, and  all  is  plain.  Little  children  are  humble 
and  dependent,  teachable  and  patient  of  reproof,  sim- 
ple, free  from  art ;  such  are  the  dispositions  which 
Christ  requires  in  his  disciples,  which  grace  imparts 
to  them,  and  in  having  which  they  are  blessed.  "  Be 
clothed  with  humility  ;  for  God  resisteth  the  proud, 
and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble,"  1  Peter,  v.,  5. 
"  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,"  Matt.,  v.,  3.  "  Except  ye  be  con- 
verted, and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  en- 
ter into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Whosoever,  there- 
fore, shall  humble  himself  as  this  little  child,  the 
same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  Matt., 
xviii.,  3,  4.      "Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

And  this  our  Lord  immediately  explained  to  be 
his  meaning,  saying,  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  be- 
longs to  such.  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  king- 
dom of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not  enter  there- 
in ;"  that  is,  "  All  who  are  like  children  will  possess 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  no  others  ;  for  no  one 
can  be  a  subject  of  Christ  except  he  becomes,  through 
grace,  poor  in  spirit,  humble,  teachable,  guileless,  and 
submissive  as  a  little  child."  The  15th  verse  is  ex- 
planatory of  the  1 4th.    Since  every  one  must  receive 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE    CHILDREN.        219 

the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  persons  who  are 
like  little  children  alone  possess  that  kingdom  ;  "of 
such  is  the  Idngdom  of  God," 

Admitting,  further,  what  can  not  be  admitted, 
that  the  w^ord  "  such"  must  include  children,  though 
it  does  not  exclude  others  who  resemble  them,  then 
the  text  must  state  that  all  those  who  are  designated 
by  the  word  "  such,"  children  or  adults,  receive  the 
kingdom  on  the  same  grounds.  Now,  since  the  adults 
receive  it  because  they  have  the  dispositions  of  little 
children,  children  must  receive  it  too,  not  because  of 
their  birth,  or  of  the  prayers  of  others,  but  in  virtue  of 
these  same  dispositions.  But  as  adults  obtain  these 
dispositions  through  regenerating  grace,  and  they  are 
the  evidence  of  faith  and  godliness,  while  little  chil- 
dren have  them  naturally,  without  faith  or  godliness, 
they  can  not  of  themselves  prove  that  children  pos- 
sess the  kingdom  of  heaven,  because,  with  all  their 
tempers  toward  their  parents  and  others,  they  are 
still,  "by  nature,  children  of  wrath,"  Eph.,  ii.,  13. 
It  follows  that  they  can  only  thus  be  blessed  because 
these  dispositions  are  very  favorable  to  instruction, 
and  that,  when  parents  and  others  train  up  children 
in  the  fear  of  God,  with  faith  and  prayer,  God  very 
often  blesses  it  to  their  conversion.  This  is,  indeed, 
fact.  And  it  may  well  encourage  parents  to  cheer- 
ful labor  for  the  conversion  of  their  little  children, 
but  declares  absolutely  nothing  respecting  infant  re- 
generation, and  affords  not  the  shghtest  warrant  for 
infant  baptism. 

4.  This  statement  was  well  adapted  to  show  the 
disciples  their  fault  in  endeavoring  to  prevent  little 
children  from  coming  to  him.      Instead  of  despising 


220  INFANT    BAPTISM, 

them  as  young,  he  so  loved  their  humility,  simplici- 
ty, teachableness,  sincerity,  and  submission,  that  he 
would  admit  no  one  into  his  service  without  these 
dispositions  ;  and  if  these  dispositions  are  so  dear  to 
him  in  all,  how  could  he  fail  to  love  them  in  little 
children  ;  how  be  without  a  tender  sympathy  for 
these  little  ones  in  their  weakness,  and  a  benevolent 
wish  to  bless  them  ?  And  these  feelings  our  blessed 
Lord  still  retains.  Although  the  doctrine  of  infant 
regeneration  is  contrary  to  Scripture  and  refuted  by 
facts,  and  the  baptism  of  infants  is  unauthorized  and 
mischievous,  yet  children  may  early  receive  the  bless- 
ing of  conversion.  Although  the  friends  of  these 
children  did  not  ask  for  baptism,  nor  did  Jesus  grant 
it,  still  he  blessed  them  without  baptism.  And  when 
Christian  parents  seek  by  instruction,  government, 
and  example,  to  lead  their  little  children  to  believe 
in  Christ,  and  ask  him  by  frequent  prayer  to  bless 
them,  he  often  blesses  them  now  ;  whether,  like  the 
children  in  the  text,  they  are  unbaptized,  or,  like 
the  children  of  this  country,  they  have  passed  through 
the  form  of  religious  sprinkling.  There  is  much  in 
the  text  against  infant  baptism,  but  there  is  more  to 
encourage  parents  to  a  godly  training  of  their  chil- 
dren. 

Section  V.  Argument  from  1  Corinthians,  \'\i.,  14. 

Some,  in  their  attempts  to  justify  the  baptism  of 
infants,  have  much  relied  upon  the  following  passage 
in  the  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians  :  "If  any  broth- 
er hath  a  wife  that  believeth  not,  and  she  be  pleased 
to  dwell  with  him,  let  him  not  put  her  away  ;  and 
the  woman  which  hath  a  husband  that  believeth 


ARGUMENT    FROM    1    COK...    vii.,   14.  221 

not,  and  if  he  be  pleased  to  dwell  with  her,  let  her 
not  leave  him.  For  the  unbelieving  husband  is 
sanctified  by  the  wife,  and  the  unbelieving  wife  is 
sanctified  by  the  husband ;  else  were  your  children 
unclean,  but  now  are  they  holy."=^ 

In  the  Corinthian  Church,  some  heathens  who 
had  become   Christians,   but  whose  husbands   and 

*  'Hyiaarat  yap  6  uvrjp  b  aircarog  tv  ry  yvvaiKi,  kgI  Tjyiaarai 
i]  yvvT]  37  aTTLcrrog  kv  r^  avdpl  ■  sirel  upa  ra  rsKva  vfiuv  uKadaprd 
koTLy  vvv  6t  liyid  eariv,  1  Cor.,  vii.,  14. 

"  'Hyiaarat,  is  made  holy  ;  dyla^u,  to  render  uy'tov,  to  make 
clean,  to  render  pure." — Robinson.  "  To  render  and  declare  any 
thing  pure  and  lawful."  —  Schleus7ier.  "To  purify."  —  Liddell. 
Heb.,  ix.,  13 ;  1  Tim.,  iv.,  5. 

'Ev  -77,  kv  TO),  kv,  "  by  means  of." — Robinson.  Matt.,  ix,,  34 ; 
Acts,  iii.,  25  ;  iv.,  9  ;  Gal.,  iii.,  8 ;  Heb.,  i.,  1.  "  'Ev,  through,  when 
a  mean  or  cause  is  assigned." — Matthice. 

"  ^Ettei,  otherwise." — Grotius,  Bengel,  Robinson.  "  ^EtkeI  here 
is  otherwise,  as  often  among  Greek  authors." — Grotius.  "  It  may 
be  rendered  *  otherwise'  when  the  clause  answering  to  'if  it  be 
not  so'  is  left  out." — Matthioi. 

'AKuOapra,  Acts,  x.,  13-15,  28  ;  xi.,  7-9.  Any  one  is  ciKadap- 
Tog  with  whom  a  Christian  may  not  innocently  associate.  'A/cd- 
daprog,  NDD  unclean.  Lev.,  v.,  2  ;  vii.,  19  ;  xi.,  4,  5  ;  Numb.,  xix., 

22;  Deut.,  xiv.,  7,  8,  10,  19.    "  A  man  was  called  XDD  and  d/ca- 

••    T 

daprog,  who  was  expelled  from  intercourse  with  the  Jews,  or  one 
from  familiarity  with  whom  the  Jews  thought  that  they  must 
wholly  abstain." — Schleusner. 

'Ayiog  must  here  be  the  opposite  of  uKadaprog,  and  therefore 
pure,  not  defiling,  and  therefore  lawful.  "  'kyiog,  pure." — Lid- 
dell.    "Pure,  clean." — Robinson.     1  Cor.,  xvi.,  2. 

Niiv  6e.  "  ^vvl,  now,  is  not  here  added  to  mark  the  time,  but 
has  the  force  of  opposition,  as  vvv,  now,  is  taken  afterward,  vii., 
14  ;  xii.,  20  ;  and  vvvl,  now,  afterward,  xii.,  18  ;  15,  20.  So  nunc 
vera  is  often  used  by  Cicero." — Grotius,  on  1  Cor.,  v.,  11 ;  John, 
viii.,  40  ;  xviii.,  36  ;  Rom.,  vi.,  22  ;  vii.,  6  ;  xv.,  23,  25  ;  xvi.,  22  ; 
1  Cor.,  v.,  11 ;  xii.,  18,  20;  xv.,  20;  Gal.,  iv.,  9;  Eph.,  ii.,  13;  v., 
8  ;  Col.,  iii.,  8  ;  James,  iv.,  16  ;  Heb.,  ii.,  8  ;  ix.,  26 ;  xi.,  16 ;  James, 
iv.,  16,  &c.,  &c. 


222  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

wives  remained  heathens,  doubted  whether  it  was 
lawful  still  to  live  with  their  idolatrous  partners. 
When  God  gave   Eve  to  Adam,  he  blessed  their 
marriage.  Gen.,  i.,  27,  28  ;  ii.,  18.=^.      The  reason 
why  he  gave  but  one  wife  to  Adam  was,  that  the 
evils    of  polygamy   being    avoided,    their    children 
might  be  trained  up  in  godliness,  Mai.,  ii.,  14,  15. 
Could  this  blessing  rest  upon  a  Christian  living  with 
a  heathen  ?      When  God  gave  his  law  to  Israel, 
each  Israelite  was  forbidden  to  marry  a  heathen, 
Deut.,vii.,  1—6.      When  such  marriages  took  place, 
the  Israelites  were  corrupted  by  them,  and  punished 
for  them,  Jud.,  iii.,  5—8.      Ezra  forced  those  who 
liad  married  heathen  wives  in  his  day  to  renounce 
them  (Ezra,  ix.,  1,  2,  6-10,  12,  14);   and  Nehe- 
miah  acted  in  a  similar  manner,  Neh.,  xiii.,  23—25. 
At  the  time  when  this  epistle  was  written,  Jews 
thought  it  "an  unlawful  thing  for  them  to  keep 
company  or  come  unto  one  of  another  nation,"  be- 
cause they  considered  heathens  to  be  unclean.  Acts, 
X.,  28.      Christians,  therefore,  might  naturally  ask 
themselves  whether  they  could  lawfully  and  piously 
live  with  heathen  partners,  and  whether  those  heathen 
partners  were  not  to  them  "  unclean."      The  Apostle 
Paul,  with  whose  doctrine  the  Corinthians  were  fa- 
miliar, taught  that  Christians  should  have  no  famil- 
iar association  with  the  heathen  (2  Cor.,  vi.,  14), 
and  allowed  no  marriages  with  them,  1  Cor.,  vii., 
39.      Ought  not,  therefore,  the  Christian  husband 
to  leave  his  heathen  wife,  and  the  Christian  wife  to 
leave  her  heathen  husband  ?    Was  not  such  marriage, 

*  "  Liberi  vestri  sunt  O'lli^D^  recti,  mundi,  Deo  grati." — Gro- 
tius. 


ARGUMENT    FROM    1    COR.,  vii.,   14.  2'23 

though  valid  according  to  human  law,  unlawful  be- 
fore God,  impure  and  unholy  ?  Ezra,  ix.,  1 1  ;  Acts, 
X.,  28.  The  apostle  decided  that  it  was  not.  In  the 
first  Epistle  to  Timothy,  Paul  has  said,  "  Every  creat- 
ure of  God  is  good,  and  nothing  to  be  refused,  if  it 
be  received  with  thanksgiving  ;  for  it  is  sanctified, 
i.  e.,  made  pure  and  lawful  to  the  Christian,  by  the 
word  of  God  and  prayer,"  1  Tim.,  iv.,  4,  5.  As, 
then,  all  kind  of  food  was  made  pure  and  lawful  to 
the  Christian  by  a  godly  use  of  it  and  by  prayer,  so 
the  heathen  husband  was  made  pure  and  lawful  to 
the  Christian  wife  by  her  godly  and  prayerful  asso- 
ciation with  him,  and  the  heathen  wife  was  made 
pure  and  lawful  to  the  Christian  husband  by  his 
godly  and  prayerful  association  with  her.  In  each 
case  the  union  became  pure  and  lawful,  because, 
like  the  food,  it  was  made  so  by  the  godly  use  of  it, 
the  thanks  and  the  prayers  of  the  Christian  partner. 
It  was  holy,  that  is,  pure,  like  the  "holy  kiss"  of  the 
Corinthian  Church  (2  Cor.,  xiii.,  12)  ;  it  was  "  un- 
defiled"  (Heb.,  xiii.,  4),  because  agreeable  to  the 
will  of  God.=^  Were  it  otherwise,  their  children, 
as  the  children  of  an  unlawful  union,  would  be,  like 
the  heathen,  unclean,  and  they  could  no  more  ask  a 
blessing  on  them  than  a  person  living  in  adultery 
could  ask  a  blessing  on  the.  children  of  adultery. 
For  God  once  said  to  Israel,  "  I  am  a  jealous  God, 
visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children 

*  "  As  the  use  of  food  is  sanctified  by  prayer  and  giving  of 
thanks  (1  Tim.,  iv.,  5),  i.  e.,  is  rendered  acceptable  to  God,  so  is 
the  marriage  union,  on  account  of  the  piety  which  the  Christian 
partner  exercises  in  that  relation.  Apud  Hebrceos  dicitur  uxor 
viro  sanctifiCdLtx  per  arrham,  scripturam  concubitum,  i.  e.,  fieri  le- 
gitima  conjux."— Grorms. 


224  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

unto  the  third  and  fourth  generations  of  them  that 
hate  me,"  Exod.,  xx.,  5.  And  when  the  IsraeUtes 
fell  into  idolatry,  he  said  of  the  whole  nation,  "  I 
will  not  have  mercy  upon  her  children,  for  they  are 
the  children  of  whoredoms,"  Hos.,  ii.,  4.  For  "  the 
curse  of  the  Lord  is  in  the  house  of  the  wicked," 
Prov.,  iii.,  33.  But,  on  the  contrary,  the  children 
of  these  mixed  marriages  were  not  to  be  looked  on  as 
unclean,  and  the  Christian  parent  might  ask  God's 
blessing  on  them.  By  this  argument  the  apostle 
both  satisfied  the  conscience  of  a  Christian  parent, 
whose  parental  love  would  lead  him  speedily  to  rec- 
Qo-nize  the  truth  of  so  comfortable  a  doctrine,  and 
rendered  him  patient  when  he  saw  his  wife  adhering 
to  idolatry,  as  the  partner  of  his  life  whom  the  di- 
vine law  bade  him  to  bear  with,  to  cherish,  and,  if 
possible,  to  convert.  The  passage  has,  therefore,  no 
reference  either  to  baptism  or  to  the  spiritual  char- 
acter of  the  children  spoken  of,  declaring  simply 
that  they  were,  with  reference  to  the  law  of  God, 
as  well  as  with  reference  to  the  law  of  man,  legit- 
imate children. 

But  if  this  interpretation  be  wholly  rejected,  and 
any  other  substituted  which  the  words  may  bear,  it 
is  abundantly  clear  that  the  holiness  here  ascribed 
to  children  is  not  such  as  could  entitle  them  to  bap- 
tism. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  holiness  of  the  children 
means  simply  that  they  are  become  Christians,  and 
that  the  uncleanness  spoken  of  is  paganism,  because 
pagans  were  esteemed  by  the  Jews  unclean.  Let 
us,  then,  substitute  these  words  for  the  words  of  the 
text,  as  their  equivalents.      "  The  unbelieving  hus- 


ARGUMENT  FROM   1   COR.,   vii.,   14.  225 

band  is  made  a  Christian  by  the  wife,  and  the  un- 
believing wife  is  made  a  Christian  by  the  husband. 
Else  were  your  children  pagans,  but  now  are  they 
Christians.'  Here  it  is  said,  1.  That  a  heathen 
remaining  a  heathen  is  made  a  Christian;  2.  That 
if  a  heathen  remains  a  heathen,  his  children  must 
be  heathens;  3.  That  if  a  heathen  is  made  a  Chris- 
tian, but  still  remains  in  reality  a  heathen,  his  chil- 
dren become  Christians  :  all  which  is  simply  ridic- 
ulous. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  leave  the  sense  of  the 
terms  unclean  and  holy  as  indefinite  as  any  one 
can  desire,  it  remains  apparent  that  the  holiness 
spoken  of  in  the  text  can  not  entitle  the  children  to 
baptism.  First,  as  the  children  of  the  heathen  hus- 
band are  said  to  be  holy,  so  is  he  said  to  be  holy  ; 
and  if  their  holiness  entitles  them  to  baptism,  his 
holiness  must  entitle  him  to  it.  To  make  this  more 
certain,  it  is  here  declared  that  their  holiness  de- 
pends on  his ;  if  he  is  unclean,  they  are  unclean ;  if  he 
is  holy,  they  are  holy.  Their  holiness  being  there- 
fore simply  the  result  of  his,  can  not  be  greater  than 
his  ;  they  are  holy  just  as  much  as  he  is  holy,  and 
no  more.  But  he  remains  an  infidel  and  a  heathen  : 
they  have,  therefore,  no  more  holiness  than  an  infi- 
del ;  and  unless  an  infidel  is,  as  such,  entitled  to 
baptism,  his  children,  as  such,  are  not  entitled  to  it. 
To  build  the  right  of  infants  to  baptism  on  this 
foundation,  is  to  destroy,  not  establish  it.  All  writ- 
ers are  not  candid  enough  to  own  this,  but  some 
who  are  keen  advocates  of  infant  sprinkling  have 
owned  it.  I  will  only  quote  the  opinion  of  Mr. 
Barnes,  as  one  of  the  latest. 
P 


226  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

"  This  passage  has  been  often  interpreted,  and  is 
often  adduced  to  prove  that  children  are  'federally 
holy,'  and  that  they  are  entitled  to  Christian  bap- 
tism on  the  ground  of  the  faith  of  one  of  the  par- 
ents. But  against  this  interpretation  there  are  in- 
superable objections.  1.  The  phrase  'federally  holy' 
is  unintelligible,  and  conveys  no  idea  to  the  great 
mass  of  men.  It  occurs  nowhere  in  the  Scriptures, 
and  w^hat  can  be  meant  by  it  r  2.  It  does  not  ac- 
cord with  the  scope  and  design  of  the  argument. 
There  is  not  one  word  about  baptism  here,  not  one 
allusion  to  it  ;  nor  does  the  argument  in  the  remot- 
est degree  bear  upon  it.  The  question  was  not, 
whether  children  should  be  baptized,  but  it  was, 
whether  there  should  be  a  separation  between  man 
and  wife  where  the  one  was  a  Christian  and  the 
other  not.  Paul  states  that  if  such  a  separation 
should  take  place,  it  would  imply  that  the  marriage 
was  improper,  and  of  course  the  children  must  be 
regarded  as  unclean.  When  one  party  is  a  Chris- 
tian and  the  other  not,  shall  there  be  a  separation? 
No,  says  Paul ;  if  there  be  such  a  separation,  it 
must  be  because  the  marriage  is  i7nproper,  because 
it  would  be  wrong  to  live  together  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. What  would  follow  from  this  ?  Why, 
that  all  the  children  that  have  been  born  since  the 
one  party  became  a  Christian  must  be  regarded  as 
having  been  born  while  a  connection  existed  that 
was  improper,  unchristian,  and  unlawful,  and  of 
course  they  must  be  regarded  as  illegitimate.  But, 
says  he,  you  do  not  believe  this  yourselves.  It  fol- 
lows, therefore,  that  the  connection,  according  to 
your  own  views,  is  proper.     This  accords  with  the 


BAPTISM    OF   HOUSEHOLDS.  227 

meaning  of  the  word  unclean,  aKadapra  ;  the  word 
will  appropriately  express  the  sense  of  illegitimacy, 
and  the  argument,  I  think,  evidently  requires  this. 
It  may  be  summed  up  in  a  few  words  :  '  Your  sep- 
aration would  be  a  proclamation  to  all  that  you  re- 
gard the  marriage  as  invalid  and  improper.  From 
this  it  would  follow  that  the  offspring  of  such  a  mar- 
riage would  be  illegitimate.  But  you  are  not  pre- 
pared to  admit  this — ^you  do  not  believe  it.  Your 
children  you  esteem  to  be  legitimate,  and  they  are 
so.  The  marriage  tie,  therefore,  should  be  regard- 
ed as  binding,  and  separation  as  unnecessary  and 
improper.  ...  I  believe  infant  baptism  to  be  proper 
and  right ;  but  a  good  cause  should  not  be  made  to 
rest  upon  feeble  supports,  nor  on  forced  and  unnat- 
ural interpretations  of  the  Scriptures." — Bar7ies. 

Section  VI.   Baptism  of  Households. 

"We  find  in  the  New  Testament  three  instances 
recorded  in  which  whole  households  were  baptized. 
The  first  is  the  baptism  of  Lydia  and  her  household 
at  Philippi  (Acts,  xvi.,  15)  ;  the  second  is  that  of 
the  jailer  and  his  household  at  the  same  place  (Acts, 
xvi.,  33)  ;  and  the  third  is  that  of  the  household  of 
Stephanas,  1  Cor.,  i.,  16.  From  which  instances 
it  is  inferred  that  the  baptism  of  families  was  the 
general  practice  of  the  apostles,  that  the  infants  in 
these  families  were  baptized,  and  that,  therefore,  in- 
fants ought  to  be  baptized  now. 

The  following  considerations  show  these  inferences 
to  be  erroneous  : 

1.  In  John,  iv.,  53,  we  read  of  a  nobleman  whose 
son,  lying  sick  at  Capernaum,  was  cured  by  the 


228  INFANT    BAPTISxM. 

word  of  Jesus.  "  So  the  father  knew  that  it  was 
at  the  same  hour  in  which  Jesus  said  unto  him, 
Thy  son  hveth,  and  himself  beheved  and  his  whole 
house."  In  Acts,  x,,  2,  we  read  of  Cornelius  that 
he  was  "  a  devout  man,  and  one  that  feared  God 
with  all  his  house."  In  Acts,  xvi.,  34,  it  is  record- 
ed of  the  jailer  of  Philippi,  "  He  rejoiced,  believing 
in  God  with  all  his  house."  In  Acts,  xviii.,  8,  it  is 
said,  "  Crispus,  the  chief  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  be- 
lieved in  the  Lord  with  all  his  house."  And  in  1 
Cor.,  xvi.,  15,  St.  Paul  wrote  to  the  Corinthians, 
«'  Ye  know  the  house  of  Stephanas  .  .  .  that  they 
have  addicted  themselves  to  the  ministry  of  the 
saints." 

Thus  three  households  are  said  to  have  been  bap- 
tized, and  five  households  are  said  to  have  believed. 
If,  then,  because  three  households  were  baptized  with 
their  heads,  households  generally,  including  infants, 
■were  baptized  when  their  heads  were  baptized,  so, 
because  five  households  believed  with  their  heads, 
households  generally,  including  infants,  believed  when 
their  heads  believed. 

If  it  be  objected,  respecting  the  five  believing 
households,  that  either  they  contained  no  children, 
or  else  that  children  were  excluded  from  the  state- 
ment as  being  incapable  of  faith,  I  reply  respecting 
the  three  baptized  households,  either  they  contained 
no  children,  or  children  were  excluded  from  the 
statement  as  being  incapable  of  the  faith  required  in 
baptism,  and  therefore  unfit  to  receive  the  rite.  The 
meaning  of  the  word  "  household"  must  be  as  com- 
prehensive in  the  second  series  of  instances  as  in  the 
-first.     If  children  were  included  in  the  first,  they 


BAPTISM    OF    HOUSEHOLDS.  229 

are  included  in  the  second  ;  if  they  are  excluded 
from  the  second,  they  are  also  excluded  from  the  first ; 
and,  consequently,  the  baptism  of  the  three  house- 
holds contains  no  proof  that  the  infants  within  them, 
or  that  any  infants,  were  baptized  by  the  apostles. 

This  single  consideration  destroys  the  supposed 
proof  that  the  apostles  baptized  infants,  derived  from 
the  baptism  of  three  households  by  Paul.  But  let 
us  further  consider  what  is  said  of  these  households. 
If  the  jailer  was  baptized  with  all  his  house,  "  He 
rejoiced,  believing  in  God  with  all  his  house"  (Acts, 
xvi.,  34)  ;  if  all  his  family  were  baptized  with  him, 
all  believed  with  him,  and  with  him  "  exceedingly 
rejoiced."  Like  him,  they  were  baptized  as  believ- 
ers, none  of  them,  therefore,  being  infants.  If  the 
household  of  Stephanas  was  baptized  by  Paul  when 
he  was  at  Corinth,  A.D.  51  (1  Cor.,  i.,  16  ;  Acts, 
xviii.,  8—11),  six  years  afterward  we  find  him  de- 
claring, in  his  letter  to  the  Corinthians,  A.D.  57, 
"  I  beseech  you,  brethren  (ye  know  the  house  of 
Stephanas,  that  it  is  the  first-fruits  of  Achaia,  and 
that  they  have  addicted  themselves  to  the  ministry 
of  the  saints),  that  ye  submit  yourselves  to  such  and 
to  every  erne  that  helpeth  with  us  and  laboreth,"  1 
Cor.,  xvi.,  15,  16.  Whatever  their  SiaKOvla,  or 
ministry,  might  be,  the  Corinthians  were  called  to 
submit  to  them  as  godly  ministers ;  and  it  is  there- 
fore clear  that  they  were  a  household  of  believers, 
and  not  of  infants,  M^hen  they  were  baptized  six 
years  before  ;  and  the  baptism  of  this  household 
affords  no  proof  that  Paul  ever  baptized  infants. 
The  third  baptized  household  was  that  of  Lydia  : 
of  them  it  is  not  said  that  they  believed,  but  neither 


230  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

is  it  said  that  there  were  any  infants  ;  and  it  would 
obviously  be  wrong  to  rest  the  propriety  of  baptizing 
infants  upon  the  assumption  that  there  were  infants 
in  that  one  family,  when  it  is  not  asserted  in  the 
narrative.  In  truth,  it  is  improbable  that  there 
were  any  infants  in  it ;  for  Lydia  was  either  a  mar- 
ried woman  whose  husband  was  alive,  a  widow,  or 
unmarried.  If  her  husband  was  alive,  he  was  either 
at  Philippi  or  elsewhere  ;  if  at  Philippi,  he  was  not 
baptized,  because,  when  the  household  was  baptized, 
his  name  was  not  mentioned  (15).  Her  husband, 
then,  remaining  an  unbeliever,  could  she  ask  several 
Christian  preachers  to  be  his  guests?  (15).  Or 
could  she  call  his  house  hers  without  mention  of  him 
to  these  strangers  ?  It  is  therefore  clear  that  she 
was  not  living  with  a  husband.  2.  As  she  was  of 
the  city  of  Thyatira,  i.  e.,  she  was  probably  a  citi- 
zen of  that  place,  generally  resident  there,  she  was 
come  to  Philippi  to  sell  purple  cloth.  Now  is  it 
conceivable,  considering  heathen  morals,  Asiatic 
manners,  and  the  depressed  state  of  women  both 
among  Jews  and  heathens,  that  her  husband  would 
remain  elsewhere,  and  allow  his  wife  to  hire  a  house 
and  carry  on  business  in  a  foreign  city  without  him  ? 
3.  She  was  therefore  either  a  widow  or  unmarried. 
If  she  was  unmarried,  there  were  no  baptizable  in- 
fants in  her  household  ;  if  she  was  a  widow,  it  is 
highly  improbable  that  there  were  any  such  infants. 
But,  in  all  cases,  she  must  have  had  assistants  in 
the  business  and  servants  who  formed  her  household, 
and  these  were  now  baptized  with  her  as  believers. 
If  it  be  supposed  improbable  that  the  whole  family 
thus  at  once  believed,  I  must  remind  the  reader  that 


BAPTISM    OF    HOUSEHOLDS.  231 

when  the  nobleman  of  Capernaum  believed,  his  house 
believed  with  him  (John,  iv.,  53) ;  so  did  the  house- 
hold of  the  jailer  (Acts,  xvi.,  34)  ;  and  so  did  that 
of  Crispus,  Acts,  xviii.,  8.  The  household  of  Lydia, 
therefore,  affords  no  more  evidence  that  infants  were 
baptized  by  the  apostles  than  the  households  of  the 
Philippian  jailer  and  of  Stephanas. 

Lastly,  since  the  baptism  of  these  three  house- 
holds can  only  afford  a  presumption  that  infants 
were  baptized  on  the  supposition  that  the  whole 
households  were  baptized,  and  since  there  is  no  more 
evidence  that  they  contained  infants  than  that  they 
contained  children  of  all  ages  and  servants  of  all 
characters,  it  follows,  that  if  the  infants  were  bap- 
tized, the  children  and  servants  of  all  ages  and  char- 
acters were  baptized  too.  And  the  baptism  of  these 
three  households  by  Paul  is  a  proof  that  the  apos- 
tles and  ministers  of  Christ  baptized  children  and 
servants  of  all  ages  and  characters  in  all  families  in 
which  the  head  of  the  family  was  baptized,  without 
any  regard  to  their  attainments  or  state  of  mind, 
which  is  absurd. 

With  these  considerations  in  his  view,  who  can 
believe  that  the  baptism  of  three  households  by  Paul 
affords  any  countenance  to  the  practice  of  infant 
baptism  ?  If  three  households  are  said  to  have  been 
baptized,  five  are  said  to  have  believed.  Of  the 
three  baptized  households,  two  are  expressly  declared 
to  be  composed  of  believers  ;  in  the  third  there  is 
reason  to  believe  there  were  no  infants  ;  and  the  bap- 
tism of  households,  if  it  justifies  the  baptism  of  in- 
fants, must  justify  the  baptism  of  boys,  young  men, 
and  servants  of  all  ages  and  characters. 


232  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

Section  VII.  Argument  in  Favor  of  Infant  Bap- 
tis7n,  from  the  Fact  that  there  are  no  Instances 
in  the  Neiv  Testament  of  the  Children  of  Chris- 
tian Parents  heing  laptized  upon  their  own  Pro- 
fession of  Faith. 

This  argument  has  been  stated  in  the  following 
terms  :  "  The  term  adult  baptism  is  used  with  two 
difierent  applications,  one  denoting  the  ordinance  as 
administered  to  a  Christian  convert  from  another 
faith,  the  other  embracing  the  case  of  children,  who, 
having  grown  up  under  Christian  training,  are  bap- 
tized on  the  profession  of  their  faith  in  Christ."  "No 
case  of  adult  baptism,  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  re- 
pudiated by  us  and  maintained  by  our  opponents, 
occurs  in  all  the  word  of  God."  "  Adult  baptism, 
as  the  feature  of  their  system,  is  utterly  unknown  to 
apostolic  practice."  "  Does  the  Baptist  complain 
that  the  period  of  Scripture  history  is  too  short  to 
produce  instances  of  the  adult  baptism  which  alone 
can  uphold  his  theory  ?  We  reply,  these  instances 
must  be  of  very  slow  growth,  if  the  lapse  of  sixty  or 
seventy  years  is  insufficient  to  produce  one  of  them." 
—  Wilson,  501. 

I  admit  that  there  are  no  instances  recorded  in 
the  New  Testament  where  the  persons  baptized  are 
said  to  be  the  children  of  believing  parents  ;  but  ev- 
ery candid  person  will  admit  that  there  was  no  rea- 
son to  expect  such  a  record,  even  on  the  hypothesis 
that  believers  alone  were  baptized  in  the  apostolic 
churches,  when  the  history  of  any  apostolic  church 
does  not  extend  over  a  period  of  ten  or  more  years ; 
because,  according  to  the  practice  of  Psedo-Baptist 


PRACTICE  OF  THE    APOSTOLIC  CHURCHES.     233 

churches,  children  are  not  baptized  upon  the  faith 
of  their  parents  after  the  age  at  which  they  can 
themselves  believe,  i.  e.,  after  the  age  of  jfive  or  six 
years,  and  few  young  persons  before  the  age  of  fif- 
teen or  sixteen  years  would  be  sufficiently  establish- 
ed in  Christian  principles  to  be  admitted  to  make 
public  profession  of  faith  themselves.  If,  therefore, 
at  the  time  when  a  Church  was  formed,  children 
were  above  five  years  of  age,  according  to  the  ac- 
knowledgment of  all,  they  should  be  baptized  upon 
their  own  profession.  Our  whole  inquiry  is  restrict- 
ed, therefore,  to  those  who  were  at  the  time  that  the 
Church  was  formed  under  six  years  of  age  ;  and  as 
few  young  persons  would  be  admitted  to  make  a 
public  profession  of  their  faith  before  the  age  of  six- 
teen, we  could  look  for  the  baptism  of  no  believers 
being  children  of  believers,  till,  at  the  earliest,  after 
the  Church  had  existed  ten  years. 

2.  Since  all  believers  were  to  be  baptized  as  a 
matter  of  course,  the  baptism  of  the  believing  chil- 
dren of  believers  would  not  be  noticed,  except  in  re- 
markable cases. 

3.  We  can  expect  no  record  of  the  baptism  of  the 
children  of  believers  when  other  baptisms  are  not 
mentioned,  the  baptism  of  the  whole  Church  being 
every  way  more  remarkable  than  the  baptism  of  a 
few  members  who  had  received  a  Christian  education. 

The  silence,  then,  of  the  New  Testament  respect- 
ing the  baptism  of  the  believing  children  of  Chris- 
tians in  any  church,  is  no  argument  against  the  cus- 
tom of  baptizing  such  children,  when  either  the  his- 
tory of  the  Church  does  not  extend  over  more  than 
ten  yearsj  or  the  cases  of  such  believing  children 


234  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

were  not  remarkable,  or  when  there  is  no  mention 
whatever  of  baptism  in  that  church.  Tried  by  these 
rules,  the  silence  of  the  New  Testament  respecting 
the  baptism  of  the  believing  children  of  Christians  is 
consistent  with  the  fact  of  those  baptisms  in  all  the 
apostolic  churches. 

The  Church  of  Jerusalem  was  formed  A.D.  33, 
and  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  was  written  by  the 
Apostle  Paul  about  A.D.  62,  that  is,  nearly  twenty- 
nine  years  after  Pentecost ;  there  was,  therefore, 
time  for  the  baptism  of  many  children  of  believing 
parents.  But  Paul  never  exercised  his  ministry  in 
that  Church,  would  know  nothing  of  the  details  of 
its  particular  baptisms,  and  does  not  mention  any 
case  of  baptism  within  it ;  nor  does  the  historian 
Luke  mention  any  which  took  place  after  the  day 
of  Pentecost.  If,  therefore,  the  silence  of  the  New 
Testament  respecting  the  baptism  of  the  believing 
children  of  believers  is  a  proof  that  they  were  not 
baptized,  its  silence  respecting  the  baptism  of  infants 
and  the  baptism  of  converts  is  a  proof  that  they  were 
not  baptized.  And  this  is  the  Church  of  whose  his- 
tory we  know  the  most.  The  argument,  therefore, 
against  the  baptism  of  the  believing  children  of 
Christians  proves,  if  valid,  that  there  was  no  bap- 
tism whatever  in  the  apostolic  churches,  and  is  there- 
fore false.  Nevertheless,  let  us  glance  at  the  notices 
in  the  New  Testament  of  other  churches. 

The  Church  of  Antioch  was  founded  A.D.  41 
(Acts,  xi.,  42),  and  no  baptisms  are  mentioned  ;  the 
churches  of  Galatia  were  formed  A.D.  50  (Acts, 
xvi,,  6),  and  the  epistle  to  these  churches  was  writ- 
ten A.D.  51:  we  have  no  further  mention  of  them. 


PRACTICE  OF  THE  APOSTOLIC  CHURCHES.     235 

There  was,  therefore,  no  opportunity,  within  the 
time  of  the  Scripture  record,  for  the  baptism  of  the 
beheving  children  of  Christians. 

The  Church  of  Colosse  was  formed,  perhaps,  A.D. 
50  (Acts,  xvi.,  6),  perhaps  later  ;  the  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians  was  written  A.D.  62  ;  there  was  no  time, 
therefore,  for  the  baptisms  in  question.  Paul  had 
no  knowledge  of  the  details  of  the  Church,  and  no 
occasion  to  mention  the  baptisms  of  any  individuals. 

The  Church  of  Philippi  was  formed  A.D.  50, 
Acts,  xvi.  The  last  visit  of  Paul  to  it  took  place 
A.D.  58,  Acts,  XX.,  6.  The  epistle  to  that  church 
was  written  A.D.  62.  So  that  there  was  neither 
time  for  the  baptisms  in  question,  nor  any  occasion 
for  mentioning  them  if  they  had  occurred. 

The  Church  of  the  Thessalonians  was  formed 
A.D.  51,  Acts,  xvii.,  1.  The  epistles  to  the  Thes- 
salonians were  written  A.D.  51  and  52,  and  we 
have  no  later  notices  of  that  church,  so  that  there 
could  be  no  mention  of  the  baptisms  in  question  with 
reference  to  it. 

The  first  visit  of  the  Apostle  Paul  to  Corinth  was 
A.D.  51  ;  the  first  epistle  to  that  Church  was  writ- 
ten A.D.  57,  the  second  A.D.  58  ;  within  the  space 
between  the  earliest  and  latest  notice  of  that  church 
in  the  New  Testament  there  could  be  no  such  bap- 
tisms. 

The  Church  of  Ephesus  was  formed  A.D.  55 
(Acts,  xix.,  1—10);  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians 
was  written  A.D.  61  ;  there  was,  therefore,  no  op- 
portunity for  any  such  baptisms  within  the  space  of 
the  sacred  record. 

The  Church  of  Rome  was  unknown  to  the  Apos- 


236  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

tie  Paul  when  he  wrote  his  epistle,  A.D.  58.  When 
he  was  at  Rome,  A.D.  62  (Acts,  xxviii.),  he  was  a 
prisoner.  The  narrative  in  the  Acts  mentions  no 
baptisms  whatever,  nor  do  the  notices  of  Rome  by 
the  apostle  himself  in  any  of  his  epistles  mention 
them. 

The  churches  of  Asia  Minor  were  formed  between 
A.D.  50  and  A.D.  55  (Acts,  xvi.,  6,  7;  xix.,1-10); 
and  the  First  Epistle  of  Peter  was  written  A.D.  65, 
from  Babylon,  1  Pet.,  v.,  13.  The  short  space  be- 
tween these  two  dates  does  not  afford  occasion  for 
such  baptisms  ;  and  if  it  had,  how  should  the  apos- 
tle know  them  at  that  distance  ?  In  these  church- 
es, within  the  time  of  the  sacred  record,  there  was 
no  probability  of  such  baptisms,  and  no  opportunity 
for  mentioning  them.  Lastly,  the  epistles  of  James, 
John,  and  Jude  make  no  mention  of  any  baptisms 
whatever. 

In  all  cases,  the  silence  of  Scripture  respecting 
the  baptism  of  the  believing  children  of  Christians  is 
sufficiently  accounted  for.  In  some  cases  there  was 
no  time  for  such  baptisms  within  the  period  of  the 
New  Testament  notice  of  the  Church,  in  others  there 
was  no  mention  of  any  baptisms.  In  the  first  of 
these  cases  there  could  be  no  record  of  such  baptisms, 
because  there  was  no  opportunity  for  the  baptisms 
themselves.  In  the  second  case,  if  the  silence  of 
Scripture  respecting  this  class  of  baptisms  is  a  proof 
that  they  did  not  take  place,  then  its  silence  respect- 
ing all  baptisms  is  proof  that  they  also  were  never 
performed.  But  if  so,  the  churches  of  Galatia,  An- 
tioch,  and  Thessalonica  were  unbapti^ed  ;  if,  on  the 
contrary,   these  churches  were  baptized,   although 


PRACTICE   OF  THE  APOSTOLIC  CHURCHES.     237 

there  was  no  record  of  their  baptisms,  so  might  the 
beheving  children  of  parents  be  baptized  without 
there  being  any  record  of  it.  So,  also,  if  the  silence 
of  Scripture  respecting  these  baptisms  in  any  church 
be  an  argument  against  their  existence,  so  the  silence 
of  Scripture  respecting  the  Lord's  Supper  is  an  ar- 
gument that  they  never  received  it.  And  if  these 
arguments  are  clearly  false,  so  is  that  which  reasons, 
from  an  analogous  silence,  that  there  were  no  bap- 
tisms of  the  believing  children  of  believers. 

But  is  it  equally  easy  to  account  for  the  total  si- 
lence of  Scripture  respecting  the  baptism  of  infants  ? 
Few,  in  the  short  periods  embraced  by  the  New 
Testament  notices  of  different  churches,  could  have 
been  baptized  as  believers  who  had  Christian  parents, 
but  within  the  same  period  there  must  have  been 
many  infants  of  such  parents.  The  Church  received 
no  perceptible  enlargement  from  the  first  of  these 
classes  ;  but  if  infants  were  baptized,  they  must  in 
a  few  years  have  formed  the  majority  in  each  church. 
Is  it  possible  that  their  baptisms  should  be  wholly 
overlooked  ? 

When  it  was  recorded  that  three  thousand  were 
baptized  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  could  the  remark- 
able fact  that  three  hundred  or  four  hundred  chil- 
dren, if  not  more,  were  baptized  with  them,  be  over- 
looked if  it  had  really  happened  ?  In  the  narrative 
of  the  conversion  of  the  Samaritans,  it  is  recorded 
that  women  were  baptized  as  well  as  men  (Acts, 
viii.,  12)  ;  if  their  children  had  been  also  baptized, 
could  this  important  fact  have  been  overlooked  ?  At 
the  formation  of  the  Corinthian  Church,  "  Many  of 
the  Corinthians,"  it  is  said,  "believed  and  were  bap- 


238  INFANT    BAPTI3M. 

tized ;"  but  not  a  word  is  said  of  their  children, 
Acts,  xviii.,  8. 

This  silence  respecting  the  baptism  of  infants  af- 
fords the  stronger  evidence  that  infants  were  not 
then  baptized,  because,  had  they  been  required  to 
be  baptized,  the  churches  needed  information  on  so 
many  points  respecting  it.  The  rule  respecting  the 
baptism  of  believing  children  of  Christians  was  plain 
— they  were  to  be  baptized  as  all  others  ;  but  what 
was  to  be  the  rule  adopted  by  the  churches  for  the 
baptism  of  infants  ?  Were  the  infants  of  true  be- 
lievers alone  to  be  baptized,  or  the  infants  of  all  bap- 
tized persons  alone,  or  the  infants  of  heathens  ?  At 
what  age  were  children  to  be  baptized  on  their  own 
profession  of  faith  ?  Were  infants  to  be  baptized  as 
already  regenerate  through  the  faith  of  their  parents, 
or  were  they  to  receive  regeneration  through  bap- 
tism ;  or,  without  receiving  regeneration  before  or 
after  baptism,  were  they  to  be  received  as  catechu- 
mens ?  Might  infants  be  baptized  without  any 
pledge  from  their  friends  that  they  should  have  a 
Christian  education,  or  must  such  a  pledge  be  given  ? 
When  believers  were  baptized,  they  were  baptized 
for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  their  baptismal  confes- 
sion of  Christ  saved  them  :  were  these  effects  to  fol- 
low the  baptism  of  infants  ?  On  these  and  similar 
points  the  churches  much  needed  information,  if  they 
were  to  baptize  their  infants,  and  on  these  points  they 
did  not  receive  from  one  apostolical  epistle  the  least 
ray  of  light :  they  were  left  absolutely  and  entirely 
to  conjecture.  And,  lastly,  after  parents  had  bap- 
tized their  children,  what  could  be  more  useful  or 
more  necessary  than  to  recall  to  Christian  parents 


PRACTICE   OF    THE    APOSTOLIC   CHURCHES.    239 

the  stipulations  which  they  had  made  for  their  chil- 
dren at  the  time  of  their  baptism  ?  Yet  this  is  not 
once  done.  Not  unfrequently  are  the  members  of 
churches  reminded  of  their  own  baptism,  with  the 
duties  implied  in  that  solemn  act ;  but  never  once 
in  the  New  Testament  does  one  of  the  writers  re- 
mind any  one  of  the  churches  of  their  dedication  of 
their  children  in  baptism.  The  duties  of  parents  to 
children  are  enforced  in  several  epistles,  but  among 
these  duties  the  obligations  entailed  on  them  by  the 
baptism  of  their  infants  are  never  once  adverted  to. 

These  facts  are  incompatible  with  the  supposition 
that  the  apostles  baptized  infants,  and  therefore  prove 
that  infants  ought  not  to  be  baptized  now. 

To  the  foregoing  evidence  let  me  add  the  follow- 
ing passage  in  the  First  Epistle  of  Peter,  addressed 
to  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor  :  "  Baptism  doth  now 
save  us  ;  not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth  of  the 
flesh,  but  the  inquiry  after  God  of  a  good  conscience, 
avvEidriaecjg  dyadrjg  eTrepdorrjiia  elg  Oedv,"  1  Pet., 
iii.,  21.*  According  to  this  passage.  Christian  bap- 
tism is  the  seeking  after  God  with  an  earnest  and 

*  "  'Errcpcjraw  {to  xPV'^'VPi-Ov,  tov  Qebv),  to  inquire  of,  to  con- 
sult."— Liddell.  It  is  the  word  used  by  the  Septuagint  for  B^^l> 
to  seek,  e.g.,  Ezek.,  xx.,  1,  2;  and  for  Sxti^»  to  inquire  after; 
Deut.,  iv.,  32;  Josh.,  ix.,  14  ;  Jud.,  i.,  1 ;  1  Kings,  xiv.,  37;  Isa., 
XXX.,  2.  ''E.nepuTau  dg  rcva  is  to  inquire  after  any  one,  as  eire- 
puTTjae  Aal3ld  elg  eipijvqv  'lo)a(3,  Kal  elg  elpTJvrjv  rov  ?mov,  2  Sam., 
ii.,  2  ;  therefore  eTTEpuTaeiv  elg  Qebv  is  to  inquire  after  God,  and 
iKepuTTjfxa  et'f  ©eov  is  an  inquiry  after  God.  In  a  similar  sense  it 
is  used  in  Dan.,  iv.,  17,  for  j<nSxiy>  a  demand  ;  and  the  inquiry 

after  God  of  a  good  conscience  is  the  inquiry  after  God  made  by 
any  one,  1.  with  sincerity  and  uprightness,  Acts,  xxiii.,  1 ;  xxiv., 
16;  2  Cor.,  i.,  12;  1  Tim.,  i.,  5,  19;  iii.,  9  ;  2  Tim.,  i.,  3;  Heb., 
xiii.,  18 ;  1  Pet.,  iii.,  16  (a  good  conscience  being  opposed  to  a  de- 


240  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

upright  mind,  and  with  the  sense  of  pardon  through 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  the  apostle  describes 
the  churches  of  Asia  Minor  as  saved  by  this  baptism. 
But  this  is  evidently  the  baptism  of  believers,  not  the 
baptism  of  infants  ;  for  how,  in  that  case,  can  bap- 
tism be  the  "  seeking  after  God  with  a  good  con- 
science ?"  In  all  these  churches,  the  only  baptism 
recognized  by  the  apostle  is  such  a  baptism  as  in- 
volves the  seeking  after  God  with  a  good  conscience, 
and  such  as  leads  to  salvation  (Isaiah,  Iv.,  6,  7  ; 
Matt.,  vii.,  7),  that  is,  the  baptism  of  believers.  Now 
these  churches  were  founded  between  A.D.  50  and 
A.D.  55  (Acts,  xvi.,  6,  7  ;  xix.,  1,  10),  and  the  Epis- 
tle of  Peter  was  written  about  A.D.  65.  If  infants 
were  baptized  during  these  fifteen  years,  a  part  of 
each  church,  and  in  some  cases,  perhaps,  the  larger 
part,  would  be  composed  of  members  baptized  in  in- 
fancy. How,  in  such  case,  could  the  apostle,  when 
speaking  of  baptism,  entirely  overlook  the  baptisms 
of  so  many  ?  But  he  does  completely  overlook  them, 
and  speaks  of  the  baptism  of  them  all  as  though  it 
had  been  in  every  case  the  baptism  of  believers.  One 
of  the  latest  writings  in  the  New  Testament  recog- 
nizes nothing  in  the  churches  but  the  baptism  of  be- 
lievers. The  last  time  that  baptism  is  mentioned 
by  any  apostle,  his  words  indicate  that  all  the  bap- 
tized, whether  adult  converts  or  the  children  of  Chris- 
tians, were  believers,  who,  in  baptism,  heartily  sought 
the  Lord,  and  who,  in  so  doing,  were  saved.  Is  this 
compatible  with  the  practice  of  infant  baptism  in  the 
apostolic  churches  ? 

filed  conscience,  Tit.,  i.,  5) ;  and,  2.  with  a  sense  of  pardon  through 
the  blood  of  Christ,  Heb.,  li.,  14 ;  x.,  2,  22. 


PRACTICE    or    THE    PRIMITIVE    CHURCH.      241 

Section  VIII.  Argument  on  beJialf  of  Lif ant  Bap- 
tism,  from  the  Practice  of  the  Churches  i?i  the 
first  Three  Centuries. 

Another  proof  that  the  apostles  practiced  infant 
baptism  has  been  sought  in  the  practice  of  the  church- 
es during  the  first  three  centuries.  The  argument 
has  been  stated  in  the  following  terms  :  "  According 
to  the  theory  of  the  Baptist  brethren,  baptism  alone 
was  the  order  of  the  day  in  the  age  which  immedi- 
ately succeeded  the  apostolic.  What  followed  ? 
Infant  baptism.  At  all  events,  its  introduction  must 
have  had  some  date  ;  and  the  later  that  date,  its 
struggle  with  adult  baptism  must  have  been  the 
more  severe,  and  a  record  of  the  struggle  the  more 
certain."  "  Our  opponents  can  not  detect  among 
the  fathers  of  these  centuries  the  origin  of  infant 
baptism.  They  denounce  it  as  an  abuse,  a  subver- 
sion of  the  law  of  Christ,  a  substitution  of  human 
device  for  the  ordinance  of  God.  Strange,  that  of 
the  origin  of  an  abuse  so  radical,  so  prevalent,  and 
so  permanent,  no  record  should  be  found.  The  ex- 
tent to  which  infant  baptism  is  known  to  have  pre- 
vailed in  the  third  century  is  to  us  unaccountable  on 
Baptist  principles.  If  adult  baptism,  in  their  sense 
of  the  term,  was  alone  apostolic,  how  came  infant 
baptism  in  so  short  a  time  to  be  the  practice,  not  of 
one  church,  but  of  all  the  churches?" — Wilson, 
526-539. 

I  reply.  That  we  may  conclude  the  baptism  of 
infants  to  be  a  corruption  in  the  churches  unknown 
to  the  apostles,  1.  Because  there  is  no  mention  of 
it  till  the  third  century.      2.  Because  the  corruption 

Q 


242  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

of  infant  communion  was  as  early  and  as  extensive 
as  that  of  infant  baptism.  And,  3.  Because  the  ori- 
gin of  both  corruptions  was  obviously  identical. 

First,  there  is  no  mention  of  infant  bcqytis^n  till 
the  third  century.  If  there  be,  we  may  surely  find 
it  in  the  pages  of  the  learned  Bingham,  who  did  his 
best  to  uphold  this  practice.  Now  the  only  testi- 
monies which  he  cites  from  authors  of  the  first  two 
centuries  are  the  following  : 

•'  Clemens  Komanus,  who  lived  in  the  times  of 
the  apostles,  though  he  does  not  directly  mention  in- 
fant baptism,  yet  says  a  thing  that  by  consequence 
proves  it.  Speaking  of  Job,  he  says,  «  Though  he 
was  a  just  man,  yet  he  condemns  himself,  saying, 
There  is  none  free  from  pollution,  though  his  life  be 
but  the  length  of  one  day.'  "  Therefore,  infants 
were  baptized  in  the  time  of  Clemens  I  I — Bing- 
ham, iii.,  158. 

Justin  Martyr,  A.D.  148.  "Many  men  and 
many  women,  sixty  and  seventy  years  of  age,  who, 
from  their  childhood,  have  been  disciples  to  Christ, 
continue  uncorrupted."*  Because  Justin  says  that 
God  was  pleased  to  convert  many  children  by  his 
grace,  therefore  infants  were  baptized  in  his  day  I  ! 

Bardesanes  Syrus,  cotemporary  of  Justin,  says, 
"  The  man  that  is  regenerated  by  water,  and  born 
again  to  God,  is  thereby  freed  from  the  weakness  of 
his  first  nativity,  which  comes  to  him  from  man  ; 
and  so  he  is  made  capable  of  salvation,  which  he 
could  not  otherwise  obtain.      For  so  the  true  prophet 

*  noA/loi  TLveg  Kal  rroTiTiai  i/^rjKOVTOv-ai  /cat  ^.fSdoixrjKovTovTai 
ol  EK  TTaiduv  kixadrjTEvaav  tu  XpiarC),  d^dopoi  dia/j.ivovat.—' 
Apol,  ii.,  p.  62  ;  Bing.,  iii.,  160. 


PRACTICE    OP    THE    PRIMITIVE    CHURCH.      243 

has  testified  with  an  oath,  saying,  •  Verily,  I  say 
unto  you.  Except  one  be  born  again  of  water,  he 
shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.'  " 
Therefore,  in  the  time  of  Bardesanes,  infants  were 
undoubtedly  baptized  I  I 

IrcncEns  was  born  about  A.D.  97  ;  was  a  disci- 
ple of  Polycarp,  who  was  a  disciple  of  John.  He 
wrote  about  A.D.  176,  "Christ  came  to  save  all 
persons  by  himself ;  all,  I  say,  who  by  him  are  born 
again  unto  God,  infants,  and  little  ones,  and  boys, 
and  youths,  and  elders.  Therefore  he  passed  through 
each  age,  being  made  an  infant  for  infants,  sanctify- 
ing infants  ;  among  little  ones  a  little  one,  sanctify- 
ing those  of  that  age  also,"  &c.*  Irenseus  says  that 
some  infants  are  born  again  through  Christ,  and 
sanctified  by  him  ;  therefore,  all  infants  were  bap- 
tized in  his  day  !  I 

Tertullian,  Avho  was  born  A.D.  160,  and  died 
A.D.  220,  wrote  about  the  beginning  of  the  third 
century,  as  follows  :  "  According  to  every  one's  con- 
dition, disposition,  and  age,  the  delay  of  baptism  is 
more  advantageous,  especially  in  the  case  of  little 
children.  Our  Lord  says,  indeed,  *  Do  not  forbid 
them  to  come  unto  me.'  Let  them  come,  therefore, 
when  they  are  grown  up  ;  let  them  come  when  they 
can  learn,  when  they  can  be  taught  whether  it  is 
they  come.      Let  them  be  made  Christians  when 


*  "  Omnes  venit  per  semetipsum  salvare,  omnes,  inquam,  qui 
per  eum  renascuntur  in  Deum,  infantes  et  parvulos,  et  pueros,  et 
juvenes,  et  seniores.  Ideo  per  omnem  venit  aetatem,  et  iiifantibus 
infans  factus,  sanctificans  infantes ;  in  parvulis  parvnlus,  sanctifi- 
cans  banc  ipsam  habentes  setatem,"  &c. — Irenceus,  lib.  ii.,  39; 
Bingham,  iii.,  164. 


244  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

they  can  know  Christ."*  Tertullian  says,  Let  bap- 
tism not  be  administered  to  httle  children,  not  a  syl- 
lable being  uttered  by  any  previous  writer  to  intimate 
that  they  were  baptized  ;  therefore  the  baptism  of 
infants  was  universal  in  the  time  of  Tertullian  I  ! 
Until  the  time  of  Tertullian,  therefore,  that  is,  dur- 
ing the  whole  second  century,  there  is  no  record  of 
infant  baptism  ;  and  in  Tertullian' s  time,  the  only 
proof  that  it  was  beginning  to  be  practiced  was  the 
argument  of  Tertullian  against  it. 

But  Origen,  who  lived  in  the  third  century,  shows 
that  it  had  become  the  practice  of  his  day  by  the 
following  expressions  :  "  Infants  are  baptized  for  the 
forgiveness  of  sins."  "  And  because  by  the  sacra- 
ment of  baptism  the  pollutions  of  our  birth  are  laid 
aside,  therefore  even  little  ones  are  baptized."  "  The 
Church  hath  received  from  apostles  the  tradition 
that  baptism  should  be  given  even  to  little  ones."! 
The  practice  which  was  growing  in  the  time  of  Ter- 
tullian was  become  general  in  the  time  of  Origen. 

This  is  the  whole  of  the  evidence  in  favor  of  in- 
fant baptism  up  to  the  third  century.  During  the 
first  two  centuries  there  is  no  symptom  of  it,  not  a 
line  written  in  its  favor.      Early  in  the  third  century 

*  "  Pro  cujusque  personse  conditione  ac  dispositione,  etiam 
aetate  cunctatio  baplismi  utilior  est  praecipue  tamen  circa  parvu- 
los.  .  .  .  Ait  quidem  Dominus,  Nollite  illos  prohibere  ad  me  venire, 
veniant  ergo  durn  adolescunt,  veniant  dum  discunt,  dum  quo  ve- 
niunt  docentur  ;  fiant  Christiani,  dum  Christum  nosse  potuerint." 
—  Tertullian  de  Baptismo  :  Bingharn,  in.,  165. 

t  "  Parvuli  baptizantur  in  remissionem  peccatorum Et  quia 

per  baptismi  sacramentum  nativitatis  sordes  deponuntur,  propte- 
rea  baptizantur  et  parvuli.  .  .  .  Ecclesia  ab  apostolis  traditionem 
suscepit  etiam  parvulis  baptismum  dare." — Origen:  Bingham,  iii., 
167. 


PRACTICE    OF    THE    PRIMITIVE    CHURCH.     245 

Tertullian  opposed  it,  and  later  iu  the  same  century 
Origen  speaks  of  it  as  an  established  custom.  These 
facts  seem  to  me  to  justify  the  judgment  of  Suicer  : 
"  For  the  first  two  centuries  no  one  received  baptism 
except  those  who,  being  instructed  in  the  faith  and 
imbued  with  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  could  testify  that 
they  believed  :  on  account  of  those  words,  '  He  that 
believeth  and  is  baptized.'  Afterward  the  opinion 
prevailed  that  no  one  could  be  saved  without  being 
baptized."* 

II.  Since  it  is  asked  how  it  was  possible  for  in- 
fant baptism,  if  it  was  indeed  a  corruption  intro- 
duced subsequently  to  the  age  of  the  apostles,  to  be- 
gin so  early,  become  so  universal,  last  so  long,  and 
occasion  no  record  of  its  origin,  I  answer,  that  infant 
communion,  which  all  admit  to  be  a  corruption,  was 
introduced  as  early,  became  as  general,  lasted  for 
centuries,  and  grew  up  as  silently.  Of  this  let  us 
now  see  the  proofs. 

1.  The  practice  of  giving  the  Lord's  Supper  to 
infants  grew  up  early  in  the  churches.  "It  is  be- 
yond dispute  that  as  she  (the  Church)  baptized  in- 
fants, so  she  immediately  admitted  them  to  a  par- 
ticipation of  the  Eucharist  as  soon  as  they  were  bap- 
tized."—  Bingliam,  v.,  313.  "It  is  frequently 
mentioned  in  C>^rian,  Austin,  Innocentius,  and 
Gennadius,  writers  from  the  third  to  the  fifth  cen- 
tury."— lb.,  iii.,  290. 


*  "  Primis  duobus  saeculis  nemo  baptismum  accipiebat  nisi  qui 
in  fide  instructus,  et  doctrina  Christi  imbutus,  testari  posset  se 
credere,  propter  ilia  verba,  '  Qui  crediderit  et  baptizatus'  fuerit. 
Postea  opinio  invaluit,  neminem  salvare  posse,  nisi  qui  baptiza- 
tus fuisset." — Suicer  in  Bmgham,  iii.,  157. 


246  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

2.  "  Cyprian  often  mentions  it  as  the  common 
practice."  —  Ih.,  v.,  313.  "The  author  of  the 
*  Constitutions,'  in  his  invitation  of  the  faithful  to 
the  communion,  bids  mothers  bring  their  children 
with  them."  "  The  author  under  the  name  of 
Dionysius  says  that  children  were  admitted  not  only 
to  baptism,  but  to  the  Eucharist." — lb.,  v.,  314. 

3.  Like  infant  baptism,  this  lasted  long  in  the 
churches.  "  If  this  matter  needed  proof,  we  might 
insist  upon  that  known  practice  and  custom  in  the 
ancient  Church  of  giving  the  Eucharist  to  infants, 
which  continued  in  the  Church  for  several  ages. 
Maldonat  confesses  that  it  was  in  the  Church  for 
six  hundred  years  ;  and  some  of  the  authorities  just 
now  alleged  prove  it  to  have  continued  two  or  three 
ages  more." — Bingham,  iii.,  290.  "As  soon  as 
the  ceremonies  of  baptism  were  finished,  men  were 
admitted  to  a  participation  of  the  Eucharist.  And 
this  was  observed  not  only  with  respect  to  adult 
persons,  but  children  also,  and  this  continued  to  the 
ninth  century." — lb.,  332.  "This  custom  was 
not  abrogated  in  France  till  the  twelfth  century." — 
lb.,  316.  "  It  continued  somewhat  longer  in  Ger- 
many and  Switzerland." — lb.,  316.  "And  pre- 
vailed in  the  Greek  Church  down  to  the  fourteenth 
century." — lb.,  317. 

4.  Like  infant  baptism,  infant  communion  was 
thought  to  have  apostolic  sanction,  '•'  It  were  ab- 
surd to  think  that  the  whole  primitive  Church, 
Greek  and  Latin,  from  St.  Cyprian's  time,  should 
give  the  communion  to  infants  without  imagining 
any  manner  of  necessity  from  any  divine  command 
to  do  it." — lb.,  316. 


PRACTICE  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH.        247 

Both  these  corruptions,  which  were  equally  early 
and  extensive  in  the  churches,  which  lasted  for  many 
centuries,  and  grew  up  equally  in  silence,  were  found- 
ed on  similar  reasons.  Children  were  admitted  to 
the  Lord's  table  because  it  was  thought  that  they 
could  not  bo  saved  without  it. 

St.  Austin  says,  "  They  are  children,  but  they  be- 
come partakers  of  his  table  that  they  may  have  life."=^ 
And  Pope  Innocent  argues  for  the  necessity  of  bap- 
tism to  infants  from  the  necessity  of  their  eating  the 
flesh  and  drinking  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  Man.f 
And  there  was  the  same  opinion  respecting  the  ne- 
cessity of  baptism  to  the  salvation  of  infants.  Ori- 
gen  says,  "  Infants  are  baptized  for  the  forgiveness 
of  sins."  "  Infants  are  baptized  ;  because,  except 
one  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. "|  St.  Cyprian 
and  a  council  of  sixty-six  bishops  determined  that 
an  infant  comes  to  baptism  "  the  more  easily  to  re- 
ceive forgiveness  of  sins,  because  they  are  not  his 
own,  but  other  men's  sins  which  are  forgiven  him." 
Upon  which  Mr.  Bingham  remarks,  "  Here  we  have 
both  the  practice  of  the  Church  and  the  reason  of 
it  together.  Infants  were  baptized  because  they 
were  born  in  original  sin,  and  needed  baptism  to 

*  "  Infantes  sunt,  sed  mensae  ejus  participes  fiuntut  habeant  in 
se  vitam." — Augustine:  Bingham,  iii.,  314. 

t  "  Parvulos  aeternae  vitae  praemiis  etiam  sine  baptismatis  gratis 
donari  posse,  per  fatuum  est  nisi  enim  manducaverint  sanguinem 
ejus  non  habebunt  vitam  in  semetipsis."— i>inoce7i<  .•  Bingham,  iii., 
315. 

t  "  Baptizantur  parvuli.  Nisi  enim  quis  renatus  fuerit  ea  aqu4 
et  spiritu  non  potest  intrare  in  regnum  coelorum." — Origen:  Bing- 
ham, iii.,  167. 


248  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

cleanse  them  from  the  guilt  and  pollution  of  it." — 
Bingliam,  iii.,  169. 

The  origin  of  the  two  corruptions  in  the  churches 
is  now  apparent.  All  churches  tend  to  spiritual  de- 
cay, as  each  individual  Christian  does  ;  and  the  de- 
terioration, too  natural  to  all  churches  under  any 
circumstances,  was  accelerated  to  these  early  churches 
by  their  situation.  Surrounded  by  vice,  ignorance, 
and  superstition,  with  fisw  copies  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  few  other  useful  books,  it  was  too  easy  to  be 
tainted  by  the  prevailing  evils  of  their  day.  As 
piety  decreased,  their  value  for  the  forms  of  their 
religion  might  increase  ;  and  the  sacraments,  which 
at  first  were  expressions  of  faith,  became,  in  the  gen- 
eral estimation,  the  channels  of  converting  grace. 
The  emblems  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  be- 
came, in  the  view  of  multitudes,  his  body  and  blood  ; 
the  sign  of  regeneration  was  now  believed  to  be  its 
source. 

To  this  exaggerated  view  of  the  value  of  the  sac- 
raments the  clergy  would  be  favorable,  because,  as 
they  alone  dispensed  these  elements,  they  thus  be- 
came themselves  the  dispensers  of  divine  grace  ;  and 
the  opinion  of  the  clergy  had  the  more  weight  with 
the  churches,  because  they  were  probably  almost  the 
only  educated  portion  of  the  Christian  community, 
as,  indeed,  they  were  long  after  in  the  feudal  king- 
doms of  Europe.  Thus  the  clergy  aided  the  popu- 
lar delusion.  Meanwhile,  passages  which  speak  in 
exalted  terms  of  the  value  of  baptism,  when  it  is  the 
public  expression  of  a  saving  faith,  were  supposed  to 
speak  of  the  intrinsic  efficacy  of  the  rite  itself  To 
receive  the  Lord's  Supper  was  to  eat  the  flesh  and 


PRACTICE  OP  THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCH.        249 

to  drink  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  thereby 
to  secure  eternal  life  (John,  vi.,  53—55)  ;  and  bap- 
tism was  supposed  to  regenerate.  Up  to  that  time 
believers  alone  were  baptized  ;  but  now  two  things 
naturally  followed  from  this  state  of  opinion.  As 
the  sacraments  were  thought  to  save  those  who  re- 
ceived them,  worldly  and  unconverted  men  sought 
to  receive  them  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  hour  of 
death  ;  when  they  could  entail  little  self-denial,  and 
when  their  saving  effects  could  not  be  neutrahzed 
by  subsequent  sins.  Many,  therefore,  postponed 
their  baptism,  like  Constantino,  to  the  hour  when 
death  seemed  to  be  approaching.  On  the  other 
hand,  these  sources  of  salvation  could  no  longer  be 
justly  withheld  from  infants.  Unless  children,  like 
others,  were  born  of  water  and  the  Spirit,  they  could 
not,  as  men  supposed,  enter  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  baptism  would  regenerate  them ;  how  could 
baptism  be  refused  to  them  without  cruelty  ?  Un- 
less children,  like  others,  ate  the  flesh  of  Jesus 
and  drank  his  blood,  they  had  no  life  ;  and  to  eat 
his  flesh  would  secure  their  everlasting  life  :  what 
minister  could  refuse  it  to  them  ?  And  so  the  ad- 
mission of  children  to  the  sacraments  was  the  nat- 
ural corollary  of  the  doctrine  that  the  sacraments 
were  intended  to  save  men.  This  is  the  explana- 
tion of  the  origin  of  infant  baptism  given  by  Suicer, 
who  says,  "  The  doctrine  of  the  necessity  of  baptism 
to  salvation  was  not  the  doctrine  of  the  first  two 
ages,  but  only  an  opinion  taken  up  afterward  ;  upon 
which  foundation  the  practice  of  infant  baptism  was 
introduced  into  the  Church." — Bingham,  iii.,  163. 
The  general  prevalence  and  long  duration  of  in- 


250  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

fant  baptism  appear  thus  to  be  no  arguments  for  its 
authority  or  lawfuhiess.  The  practice  of  infant  com- 
munion crept  into  the  churches  as  early,  prevailed 
as  extensively,  endured  for  centuries,  triumphed  as 
silently,  and  was  embraced  on  the  same  grounds. 
The  one  bears  exactly  the  same  authority  as  the 
other.  If  the  churches  are  bound  to  maintain  in- 
fant baptism,  they  are  bound  to  sanction  infant  com- 
munion too.  If  they  have  done  right  in  discontin- 
uing infant  communion,  they  must  have  equal  liber- 
ty to  discard  infant  baptism.  And  so  Mr.  Bingham, 
in  effect,  judges  :  "As  no  church,"  he  says,  "now 
thinks  herself  under  any  obligation  to  give  the  Eu- 
charist to  infants,  because  the  primitive  Church  for 
eight  hundred  years  did  so,  so  neither  does  any 
church  judge  herself  bound  to  give  confirmation  to 
infants  from  the  same  example." — Bingham,  iii., 
296.  And  if  both  infant  communion  and  infant  con- 
firmation have  been  generally  repudiated,  notwith- 
standing the  general  practice  of  the  early  church- 
es, so  infant  baptism,  which  is  strictly  similar,  and 
sprang  up  from  the  same  motives,  ought  to  be  re- 
jected, notwithstanding  that  it  has  the  same  gener- 
al practice  to  sanction  it. 

Section  IX.  The  Argument  in  favor  of  Infant 
Baptism  derived  from  the  Niimher  of  those  who 
practice  it. 

The  argument  in  favor  of  any  doctrine  from  the 
numbers  who  support  it  is  extremely  uncertain.  In 
very  many  instances  truth  has  had  to  struggle  against 
majorities.  There  were  very  few  Christians  and 
many  heathens  when  the  apostles,   aided  by  God, 


NUMBER    WHO    PRACTICE    IT.  251 

undertook  to  evangelize  the  world.  Even  now  two 
hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  professed  Christians  are 
few  when  compared  with  seven  hundred  millions 
of  idolaters  and  Mohammedans.  Of  these  professed 
Christians  not  one  third  are  Protestants.  Of  these 
Protestants,  how  few  profess  to  believe  the  great  doc- 
trines of  grace  ;  how  few  support  Bible  and  mission- 
ary societies  ;  how  few  condemn  the  union  of  the 
Church  with  the  State ;  how  few  are  Congregation- 
alists  ;  how  few  are  true  believers  I  "  Wide  is  the 
gate,  and  broad  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  to  destruc- 
tion, and  many  there  be  which  go  in  thereat  :  be- 
cause strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way, 
which  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find 
it."  If  Baptists  are  few,  so  have  other  classes  been 
few,  which  have  maintained,  or  do  maintain,  unpop- 
ular truths.  In  investigating  the  evidence  for  any 
doctrine,  we  should  not  dwell  too  much  upon  the 
numbers  on  either  side,  nor  even  upon,  what  is  of 
more  consequence,  their  character  and  talent,  but 
rather  ask  the  direct  proof  from  Scripture,  and  the 
reasonableness  of  the  doctrine  itself.  Truth  has  often 
been  found  for  a  long  time  with  the  few  against  the 
many,  though  the  many  must  eventually  yield  to  it. 

But  the  numbers  of  those  who  maintain  that  be- 
lievers alone  ought  to  be  baptized,  as  compared  with 
those  who  hold  any  other  specific  doctrine  respect- 
ing Christian  baptism,  is  not  so  small  as  is  often  as- 
sumed. 

Compared  with  all  other  evangelical  churches, 
the  number  of  Baptist  churches  may  be  few.  But 
when  all  Psedo-Baptists  are  grouped  into  one  multi- 
tude on  pne  side,  in  opposition  to  the  Baptists  on 


252  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

the  other,  the  contrast  is  superficial  and  delusive, 
the  grounds  upon  which  one  class  support  infant 
baptism  being  so  contradictory  to  those  advanced 
by  another  class  as  to  afford  strong  presumption 
against  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  which  they  jointly 
maintain. 

The  doctrine  that  believers  ought  to  be  baptized 
is  maintained  by  almost  all  the  Christian  world 
upon  the  same  grounds,  namely,  that  Christ  has 
commanded  it,  and  that  it  was  practiced  by  the 
apostles.  All  classes  of  Psedo-Baptists  agree  with 
Baptists  in  this  ;  but  when  we  examine  upon  what 
the  belief  of  infant  baptism  rests,  we  find  no  such 
consent  among  those  who  practice  it.  The  direct 
evidence  for  it  in  the  New  Testament  so  completely 
fails  ;  the  arguments  on  its  behalf,  derived  from  the 
baptism  of  three  believing  households,  from  the  ho- 
liness of  a  union  between  a  Christian  and  an  unbe- 
liever in  certain  circumstances,  from  the  kindness 
of  Jesus  to  little  children,  and  from  the  promises  to 
parents,  are  so  weak,  that  though  most  Psedo-Bap- 
tist  writers  adduce  them  as  subsidiary  to  their  argu- 
ment, few  would  venture  to  rest  their  cause  upon 
them. 

The  main  grounds  upon  which  the  practice  rests, 
and  without  which  it  would  be  discontinued,  are 
thus  stated  by  different  classes.  Many  of  the  An- 
glican Psedo-Baptists,  and  many  Episcopalians  of 
the  United  States,  would  probably  describe  them 
thus:  "  Sacraments  are  effectual  signs  of  grace  and 
God's  good-will  toward  us,  by  the  which  he  doth 
work  invisibly  in  us,"  Art.  25.  "  Baptism  is  a  sign 
of  regeneration  or  new  birth,  whereby,  as  hy  an  m- 


NUMBER    WHO    PRACTICE    IT.  253 

strument,  they  that  receive  baptism  rightly  are  graft- 
ed into  the  Church,"  Art.  27.  "  The  inward  and 
spiritual  grace  in  baptism  is  a  death  unto  sin  and  a 
new  birth  unto  righteousness  ;  for  being  by  nature 
born  in  sin,  and  the  children  of  wrath,  we  are  here- 
by made  the  children  of  grace.  There  are  required 
in  persons  to  be  baptized,  repentance  whereby  they 
forsake  sin,  and  faith  whereby  they  steadfastly  be- 
lieve the  promises  of  God  made  to  them  in  that 
sacrament ;  but  infants  are  baptized,  because  they 
promise  both  repentance  and  faith  by  their  sureties; 
which  promise,  when  they  come  to  age,  themselves 
are  bound  to  perform." — See  Church  Cat.  "  Bap- 
tism is  a  sacrament ;  and  if  so,  it  must  convey  the 
grace  annexed  to  it  whenever  no  obstacle  is  placed 
in  its  way  by  the  unworthiness  of  the  recipient.  For 
this  has  been  the  notion  of  the  whole  Christian 
Church,  that  the  sacraments  are  not  bare  signs,  but 
do  convey  that  also  which  they  signify.  Since,  then, 
infants  are  incapable  of  opposing  any  obstacle,  we 
must  believe  that  the  grace  of  baptism,  a  death  unto 
sin,  and  a  new  birth  unto  righteousness,  is  hereby 
conferred  upon  all  who  are  brought  to  be  ingrafted 
into  their  Savior  by  baptism.  .  .  .  And  since  infants 
are  all  alike  incapable  of  opposing  the  divine  benefit, 
and  the  willfulness  which  they  might  hereafter  show 
has  no  place  there,  and  God  in  his  word  has  given 
us  no  ground  for  making  any  distinction  between 
them,  we  must  conclude,  as  the  whole  ancient 
Church  did,  that  the  benefits  of  holy  baptism  are, 
by  virtue  of  the  sacrament  itself,  and  of  the  divine 
institution,  imparted  to  all  infants." — Tract  67. 
All  infants  being  thus  worthy  recipients,  Canon  68 


254  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

consistently  enacts,  "  No  minister  shall  refuse  or  de- 
lay to  christen  any  child  that  is  brought  to  the 
church  to  him  upon  Sundays  or  holydays  to  be 
christened.  And  if  he  shall  refuse  to  christen  .  .  . 
he  shall  be  suspended  by  the  bishop  of  the  diocese 
from  his  ministry  by  the  space  of  three  months." 
Anglicans  then  rest  the  right  of  infants  to  baptism 
mainly  upon  the  fact  that  in  some  sense  or  other  it 
regenerates  them. 

Against  this  both  Presbyterians  and  Congrega- 
tionalists  properly  protest.  According  to  them,  the 
doctrine  of  baptismal  regeneration  is  "  unscriptural, 
false,  and  injurious  to  the  souls  of  men."  "  That 
baptism  is  not  the  means  of  regeneration,  appears 
from  the  evidence  afforded  by  analogy,  by  the  char- 
acter of  the  Gospel,  by  experience,  by  the  statements 
and  by  the  omissions  of  God's  holy  word."  "  The 
common  tendency  of  this  doctrine  is  to  lead  men  to 
value  the  material  form  of  religion  more  than  its 
spiritual  essence  ;  to  dispose  them  to  rely  on  what 
is  done  for  them  by  frail  and  sinful  men,  rather  than 
on  the  wisdom  and  power  of  Him  who  is  most  holy 
and  most  merciful ;  to  foster  the  presumption  of 
those  who  are  satisfied  with  themselves,  and  to  de- 
prive of  hope  the  humble  penitent.  This  is  not  the 
tendency  of  the  glorious  Gospel  of  our  God  and 
Savior." — Godivin,  Zll ,  396. 

Presbyterians,  therefore,  and  Congregationalists, 
sometimes  state  the  grounds  of  infant  baptism  thus : 
"  Before  the  coming  of  Christ,  the  covenant  of  grace 
had  been  revealed,  and  under  that  covenant  there 
existed  a  divinely  instituted  connection  between 
children  and  their  parents ;  the  sign  and  seal  of  the 


NUMBER    WHO    PRACTICE    IT.  255 

blessings  of  the  covenant  was,  by  divine  appoint- 
ment, administered  to  children,  and  there  can  be 
produced  no  satisfactory  evidence  of  this  connection 
having  been  done  away." — Wardlaiv. 

"  If  it  be  necessary  that  adult  persons  should 
make  a  profession  of  godliness  in  order  to  their  own 
admission  to  baptism,  then  undoubtedly  is  it  neces- 
sary in  order  to  their  children  being  baptized  on  their 
account ;  for  parents  can  not  convey  to  their  chil- 
dren a  right  to  this  sacrament  by  virtue  of  any 
qualifications  lower  than  those  requisite  in  order  to 
their  own  right,  children  being  admitted  to  bajotism 
only  as  being,  as  it  loere,  'parts  and  members  of 
their  parents.  And  besides,  the  act  of  parents  in 
offering  up  their  children  in  a  sacrament,  which  is 
a  seal  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  is  in  them  a  solemn 
attending  that  sacrament  as  persons  interested  in  the 
covenant,  and  a  public  manifestation  of  their  ap- 
proving and  consenting  to  it,  as  truly  as  if  they  had 
then  ofTered  themselves  up  to  God  in  that  ordinance. 
Indeed,  it  implies  a  renewed  offering  up  themselves 
with  their  children,  and  devoting  both  jointly  to 
God  in  covenant  ;  themselves  ivith  their  children' 
as  parts  of  themselves." — Jon.  Edwards's  Works, 
vol.  i.,  p.  476. 

Thus  this  class  of  Psedo-Baptists  found  the  right 
of  infants  to  baptism  upon  their  relation  to  their 
parents,  children  being,  as  it  were,  parts  of  their 
parents,  and  therefore  within  the  covenant  of  grace 
because  their  parents  are. 

But  many  of  the  Congregationalists  state  their 
reasons  for  infant  baptism  in  terms  like  the  following  : 
«'  The  principal  argument  for  restricting  baptism  to 


256  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

the  cliildren  of  believers  is  founded  upon  the  opinion 
that  as  the  ancient  sign  of  the  covenant  wsls  admin- 
istered to  the  seed  of  Abraham  in  testimony  of  his 
faith  (the  covenant  being  made  v^^ith  him  and  with 
his  seed),  so  the  modern  sign  of  the  covenant  is  to 
be  administered  to  the  seed  of  beUevers  on  account 
of  the  faith  of  their  parents.  .  .  .  The  argument  in 
favor  of  the  transmission  of  the  sign  of  the  Christian 
covenant  from  the  believing  parent  to  his  children, 
founded  upon  the  transmission  of  the  sign  of  the 
Abrahamic  covenant  through  the  hereditary  line  of 
succession  in  the  posterity  of  Abraham,  fails  in  al- 
most every  particular.  .  .  .  The  general  opinion  that 
baptism  is  substituted  for  circumcision  as  a  kind  of 
hereditary  seal  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  appears  to 
be  ill  sustained  by  scriptural  evidence,  and  to  be  ex- 
posed to  some  very  serious,  if  not  absolutely  fatal 

objections A  respected  writer,   indeed,   says, 

'  Under  that  covenant  there  existed  a  divinely  insti- 
tuted connection  between  children  and  their  parents ;' 
but  of  this  connection,  which  appears  to  me  to  be 
the  hinge  of  the  whole  argument,  he  offers,  so  far 
as  I  can  find,  no  satisfactory  evidence,  nor  even  any 
evidence  at  all.  The  sign  of  the  Abrahamic  cove- 
nant was  given  to  every  child,  as  it  appears  to  me, 
on  account,  not  of  his  immediate  connection  with  his 
parents,  but  of  his  remote  connection  with  the  head 
of  the  covenant.  .  .  .  Ahaziah  was  circumcised,  not 
because  he  was  the  son  of  the  wicked  Ahab,  or  the 
more  wicked  Jezebel,  but  because  he  was  of  the 
covenanted  lineage  of  the  faithful  Abraham.  .  .  . 
The  privilege,  then,  is  resolved  into  the  connection 
between  Abraham  and  his  posterity,  and  no  other 


NUMBER    WHO    PRACTICE!    IT.  257 

seems  to  be  recognized  in  tlie  Abrahamic  covenant. 
.  .  .  The  argument  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  if  it 
apply  at  all,  applies  to  the  grandchildren  of  believers 
as  well  as  to  their  children,  and  so  on  to  the  third 
and  fourth  generations,  and  through  an  infinite  se- 
ries. ...  In  all  arguments  which  assume  any  dis- 
tinction of  privileges  among  children  on  account  of 
the  faith  of  their  parents,  we  must  disclaim  all  partic- 
ipation."— Halley,  530,  531,  536,  537,  539,  533. 

Repudiating,  then,  the  supposed  connection  be- 
tween parents  and  children  as  a  spurious  ground  on 
which  to  rest  the  practice  of  infant  baptism,  many 
Congregationalists  would  state  its  grounds  thus  : 
"  There  are  those  who  baptize  all  applicants  what- 
soever, provided  the  application  does  not  appear  to 
be  made  scoffingly  and  profanely,  and  all  children 
offered  by  their  parents,  guardians,  or  others,  who 
may  have  the  care  of  them.  .  .  .  The  first  class  main- 
tain that  baptism  is  exclusively  the  privilege  of  true 
believers  ;  the  second,  that  by  virtue  of  a  covenant 
relation  between  parents  and  children,  it  belongs  also 
to  the  children  of  believers  ;  the  third,  that  as  no 
restriction  is  imposed  on  baptism  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, none  ought  to  be  imposed  by  the  ministers  of 
the  Gospel.  .  .  .  Our  commission  is  to  disciple  as 
many  as  we  can  by  baptizing  and  by  teaching  them. 
.  .  .  Adhering  to  the  literality  of  the  commission, 
we  admit  no  exceptions,  either  in  the  baptizing  or 
the  teaching,  regarding  the  extent  of  our  abihty  as 
the  only  limit  of  our  obedience." — Halley,  496, 
497,  578. 

But  to  these  a  larger  class  of  Presbyterians,  with 
some  Congregationalists,  would  reply,  respecting  such 
R 


258 


INFANT    BAPTISM. 


indiscriminate  baptism,  "  What  is  the  amount  of  its 
value  to  the  children  of  unbelievers  ?  what  the  ben- 
efit they  derive  from  it  ?  ...  I  regard  these  state- 
ments as  not  only  unscriptural,  but  perilously  so  to 
the  constitution  and  character  of  the  New  Testament 
Church,  as  tending,  if  consistently  followed  out,  to  un- 
dermine and  destroy  it  as  a  spiritual  and  separate  com- 
munity. .  .  .  The  principles  avowed,  if  fairly  followed 
out,  go  far  to  obliterate  the  distinction  between  the 
Church  and  the  world. ' ' —  WarcUmv,  290,291,284. 

"  A  full  induction  of  instances  warrants  the  con- 
clusion that  the  New  Testament  knows  no  adult 
baptism  irrespective  of  a  credible  profession  of  faith. 
.  .  .  Dr.  H.  is  of  course  entitled  to  hold  and  defend 
his  opinion,  and  we  are  equally  entitled  to  affirm 
that  one  more  utterly  unfounded  we  have  seldom 
met  with." — Wilso?i,  375. 

Besides,  then,  the  opinion  of  the  Baptists,  there 
are  three  distinct  and  incompatible  opinions  upon 
which  infant  baptism  is  made  to  rest  by  three  great 
classes  ;  and  although  no  accuracy  can  be  attained 
on  these  points,  yet  let  us  make  an  approximate  esti- 
mate of  the  number  of  churches  espousing  these  dif- 
ferent opinions  in  Great  Britain  and  America. 


Baptist  Churches 

Anglicans  and  Episcopalians  maintaining 
that  baptism  in  some  sense  regenerates 
children 

Presbyterians  maintaining  that  children  are 
to  be  baptized  on  account  of  the  faith  of 
their  parents 

Congregationalists  maintaining  that  baptism 
should  be  indiscriminate  to  all  children  .  . 


1,825 


13,000 


7.130 


950 


3.000 


3,744 


2,570  1.300 


8,955 

13,950 

6,744 
3,870 


These  figures,  though  not  accurately  stating  the 


NUMBER    WHO    PRACTICE    IT.  259 

present  numbers  of  the  cliurclies  in  Great  Britain 
and  the  United  States,  and  still  less  the  numbers  of 
these  denominations  throughout  the  world,  are  yet 
accurate  enough  to  illustrate  the  argument  in  favor 
of  infant  baptism  derived  from  numbers. 

According  to  this  argument,  which  I  am  oppos- 
ing, the  Baptists  are  wrong  in  their  peculiar  opinion, 
because  a  majority  of  Christians  are  against  them. 
If  this  be  true,  then  any  other  class  must  be  in  er- 
ror when  the  majority  are  against  them.  Anglicans 
and  American  Episcopalians,  who  number  13,950 
churches,  must  be  wrong  when  they  found  the  right 
of  all  infants  to  baptism  on  the  idea  that  baptism 
regenerates,  because  19,569  churches  of  Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists,  and  Baptists  reject  that 
idea.  The  6744  Presbyterian  churches  must  be  in 
error  when  they  declare  that  the  children  of  believ- 
ers have  a  right  to  baptism  in  virtue  of  the  faith  of 
their  parents,  all  other  children  being  excluded,  be- 
cause 26,775  churches  of  Episcopalians,  Congrega- 
tionalists, and  Baptists  deny  the  transmission  of  that 
right  from  the  parent  to  the  child  ;  and  the  3870 
Congregationalist  churches,  which  advocate  the  in- 
discriminate baptism  of  infants,  as  a  corollary  of  the 
indiscriminate  baptism  of  adults,  must  be  in  error, 
because  they  are  opposed  in  this  notion  by  29,649 
churches  of  Episcopalians,  Presbyterians,  and  Bap- 
tists. May  not,  then,  the  Baptists  reply  with  con- 
fidence to  those  who  say  to  them,  "  You  are  wrong, 
because  you  are  opposed  by  the  majority,"  You  are 
all  in  the  same  predicament  ?  Baptismal  regener- 
ation, the  Anglican  foundation  of  infant  baptism,  is 
erroneous,  because  it  is  opposed  by  the  majority  of 


260  INFANT    BAPTltiM. 

Christians.  The  transmission  of  the  rights  of  the 
parent  to  the  child,  the  Presbyterian  foundation,  is 
erroneous,  because  opposed  by  the  majority  ;  and  the 
right  of  all  serious  adult  applicants  to  baptism,  which 
is  the  Congregational  foundation,  is  no  less  errone- 
ous, because  no  less  opposed  by  the  majority.  And 
if  Baptists  are  in  error  in  their  peculiar  views  be- 
cause they  are  a  minority,  so  Episcopalians,  Presby- 
terians, and  Congregationalists  are  all  in  error,  be- 
cause they  also  are  severally  minorities. 

But  further  ;  since,  according  to  this  doctrine,  a 
minority  must  be  in  the  wrong,  a  majority  must, 
consequently,  be  in  the  right ;  and  Baptists  appear, 
upon  closer  investigation,  to  be  in  the  right  on  this 
ground.  1.  All  hold,  with  Baptists,  that  unbap- 
tized  believers  ought  to  be  baptized.  2.  A  majority 
hold,  with  them,  that  baptism  does  not  regenerate. 
3.  A  majority  hold,  with  them,  that  the  faith  of  the 
parent  is  not  the  foundation  of  the  child's  right  to 
baptism.  4.  A  majority  hold,  with  them,  that  the 
right  of  all  adults  to  baptism  is  not  the  foundation 
of  the  baptism  of  infants  ;  and,  5.  A  majority  hold, 
with  them,  that  the  promises  to  parents,  the  baptism 
of  households,  the  alleged  holiness  of  the  children  of 
a  Christian  parent,  and  the  blessing  pronounced  upon 
some  little  children  by  our  Lord,  are  not  sufficient 
grounds  for  infant  baptism.  Although,  therefore, 
the  majority  deny  the  Baptist  conclusion,  the  major- 
ity admit  the  Baptist  arguments  from  which  that 
conclusion  legitimately  follows.  The  Baptist  argu- 
ments, tried  by  this  test  of  majorities,  are  sound,  and 
therefore  the  legitimate  conclusion  from  those  argu- 
ments must  be  sound  also. 


NUMBER    WHO    PRACTICE    IT.  261 

Nay,  tried  by  this  test,  the  whole  doctrine  of  in- 
fant baptism  must  fall ;  for  that  doctrine,  if  true, 
must  rest  upon  some  foundation  ;  but  by  this  test  it 
has  none.  The  direct  evidence  from  the  New  Test- 
ament is  thought  by  the  majority  to  be  insufficient, 
and  therefore  is  so.  Baptismal  regeneration,  for  the 
same  reason,  is  no  foundation  for  it ;  and  a  supposed 
covenant  with  believing  parents,  and  a  supposed  right 
of  all  sincere  applicants  to  baptism,  are,  by  the  same 
test,  equally  exploded.  No  foundation  of  infant  bap- 
tism can  be  adduced  which  the  majority  of  Chris- 
tians do  not  repudiate  ;  that  doctrine  has,  therefore, 
no  foundation  ;  and  the  Baptists  must  ^be  right  in 
rejecting  it. 

A  majority  of  Christians,  indeed,  uphold  infant 
baptism  ;  but,  since  their  arguments  for  it  are  mu- 
tually destructive,  their  common  conclusion  must  be 
invalidated.  Most  persons  superficially  look  no  fur- 
ther than  the  common  conclusion  ;  but  what  is  the 
value  of  a  conclusion  built  on  contradictory  reason- 
ings ?  No  majority  can  make  it  plausible.  If  all 
agreed  in  the  proofs  of  the  divine  institution  of  infant 
baptism,  then  their  authority  would  be  more  formi- 
dable to  their  dissentient  brethren.  But  how  stands 
the  case  ?  One  class  believes  that  infants  ought  to 
be  baptized  because  baptism  regenerates  ;  which  rea- 
son being  erroneous,  the  practice  of  infant  baptism, 
if  built  on  that  alone,  must  be  erroneous  too.  A 
second  class  believes  that  infants  ought  to  be  bap- 
tized because  they  are  included  with  their  parents 
in  the  covenant  of  grace  ;  and  this  reason  also  being 
erroneous,  infant  baptism,  if  built  upon  it,  must  be 
likewise  erroneous.      A  third  class  believes  that  in- 


262  INFANT    BAPTISM. 

fants  ought  to  be  baptized  because  all  applicants 
ought  to  be  ;  and  since  this  reason  also  is  erroneous, 
if  infant  baptism  rests  upon  it,  it  must  be  likewise 
erroneous.  Since,  then,  each  of  these  false  reasons 
is  unable  to  sanction  the  practice,  all  of  them  to- 
gether are  unable  to  sanction  it ;  and  infant  bap- 
tism, which  remains  without  a  single  solid  founda- 
tion, must  be  treated  as  an  error,  though  upheld  by 
the  conclusion  of  the  majority. 


CHAPTER  IV 


THE    EFFECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 


Being  created  to  the  end  that  we  may  love  and 
serve  our  Creator,  we  have,  on  the  contrary,  rebell- 
ed against  him.  For  this  we  must  obtain  pardon 
through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  borne  the 
sins  of  all  believers  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  1 
Pet.,  ii.,  24  ;  2  Cor.,  v.,  21.  But  as  those  only  re- 
ceive the  forgiveness  of  their  sins  who  trust  in  Christ, 
all  men  need  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  through 
which  alone  they  can  obtain  saving  faith,  John,  iii., 
16,36;  Bom.,  iii.,  19-28;  John,  vi.,  44;  Acts,  ii., 
47  ;  xi.,  21 ;  xiii.,  48  ;  1  Cor.,  iii.,  5.  All  are  thus 
called  to  give  themselves  up  to  the  service  of  God 
the  Father,  through  faith  in  God  the  Son,  by  the 
aid  of  God  the  Holy  Spirit ;  to  die  to  sin,  and  begin 
a  new  life  of  devotedness  to  the  Triune  God  ;  to 
yield  themselves  up  to  God  their  Creator,  Preserver, 
Benefactor,  and  King  ;  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
their  Pv^edeemer  and  Mediator ;  and  to  the  Holy 
Spirit,  their  Sanctifier  :  to  consecrate  themselves  to 
the  Triune  God. 

All  this  must  be  done  openly.  Since  God  is  our 
Father,  we  must  honor  him  as  such  ;  since  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  has  died  to  save  us,  we  must  confess 
him  before  men  ;  since  the  Holy  Spirit  has  convert- 
ed and  sanctified  us,  we  must  acknowledge  his  work. 


264        THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM. 

Hence,  some  solemn  and  public  profession  of  faith  in 
the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Spirit,  naturally  fol- 
lows from  a  real  subjection  of  heart  to  the  Father 
through  the  Son  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Church 
of  Christ,  likewise,  which  is  the  society  of  Christ's 
disciples,  ought  not  to  receive  into  fellowship  as 
brethren  those  who  would  disgrace  it  either  by  false 
doctrine  or  by  a  discreditable  life.  Each  Church, 
therefore,  should  ask  some  public  profession  of  faith 
and  of  consecration  to  God  from  all  its  members  be- 
fore they  are  admitted.  Both  these  objects  are  se- 
cured by  the  appointed  rite  of  baptism.  As  Christ 
will  confess  us  openly  before  the  universe  if  we  are 
his  true  disciples  (Matt.,  xxv.),  so  we  ought  to  own 
him  openly  before  men,  Matt,,  x.,  32.  We  must 
confess  him  every  where,  before  all  men,  through  our 
whole  lives  ;  and  it  is  right  that  we  should  enter  on 
this  life  by  a  public  and  solemn  act  of  profession. 
Baptism  is  that  appointed  act.  Each  Christian  con- 
fesses Christ  at  the  Lord's  Supper  ;  but  this  Supper, 
while  expressing  faith  and  discipleship,  does  not  dis- 
tinctly express  either  the  renunciation  of  sin  or  con- 
secration in  a  new  life  to  the  Triune  God.  In  the 
Supper,  likewise,  the  whole  Church  confesses  Christ, 
and  each  believer  is  undistinguished  from  the  rest ; 
but  baptism  is  an  individual  and  often  a  solitary  act, 
in  which,  before  the  Church  and  before  the  world, 
each  convert  avows  his  repentance  and  faith.  By 
his  burial  in  water  he  professes  to  die  to  all  sin  as 
Christ  died  for  it,  to  renounce  it  wholly  and  forever. 
And  in  his  rising  from  the  water  he  professes  to  be- 
gin a  new  spiritual  life,  as  Christ  has  risen  from  the 
grave  to  a  life  of  glory.      And  as  he  is  baptized 


THE    EFFECTS    OF    BAPTISM.  265 

'<  unto  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  he  thus  professes  his  consecration  to 
the  service  of  the  Triune  God,  his  Maker,  Redeem- 
er, and  Sanctifier. 

By  faith,  expressed  in  baptism,  each  sincere  con- 
vert confesses  Christ  so  as  to  wash  away  his  sins 
(Acts,  xxii.,  16),  to  receive  pardon  (Acts,  ii.,  38),  to 
put  on  the  robe  of  Christ's  righteousness  (Gal.,  iii., 
27),  and  to  secure  salvation,  1  Pet.,  iii.,  21.  And 
as  he  confesses  Christ,  he  will  be  confessed  by  Christ 
at  the  last  day.  Matt.,  x.,  32  ;   Rom.,  x.,  8-10. 

I.  Let  us  now  consider  the  influence  which  the 
baptism  of  a  believer  is  likely  to  have  upon  himself, 
upon  the  Church  of  which  he  becomes  a  member, 
and  upon  spectators. 

It  is  a  solemn  moment  when  a  person  thus,  be- 
fore the  assembled  multitude,  professes,  by  a  sym- 
bolical act  more  expressive  than  words,  to  renounce 
all  sin,  to  die  to  it  as  Christ  died  for  it,  and  to  rise 
again  to  a  new  life  of  universal  holiness,  consecrated 
forever  to  the  ennobling  and  joyful  service  of  the 
Triune  God.  Christians  dishonor  Christ  and  injure 
themselves  when  they  permit  those  with  whom  they 
live  and  act  not  to  know  that  Christ  is  their  master 
and  his  word  their  rule.  Such  concealment  tempts 
to  sinful  compliances  with  the  world  ;  but  even  if 
these  are  escaped,  that  concealment  is  an  injury  to 
the  cause  of  Christ.  He  has  himself  said,  "He  that 
is  not  with  me  is  against  me,"  Matt.,  xii.,  30.  And 
the  truth  of  this  is  evident :  he  who  is  indifferent  to 
Christ,  and  does  not  trust  in  him,  declares  by  his 
conduct  to  the  world  that  they  may  do  without 
Christ,  despises  his  sacrifice,  denies  his  claims,  justi- 


266  Tx4E    EFFECTS    OF    BAPTISM. 

iies  universal  disbelief,  and  is  therefore  his  enemy. 
He  who  conceals  his  faith  does  in  effect  nearly  the 
same  thing.  Thought  by  others  to  be  an  unbeliever, 
and  yet  esteemed  for  his  social  virtues,  he  leads  oth- 
ers to  think  that  they,  like  him,  can  be  good  enough 
without  Christ.  But  when  a  believer  is  immersed 
unto  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  to  show  that  he  dies  to  sin  and  rises  again 
to  a  new  life,  consecrated  to  God  through  Christ  by 
the  Spirit,  then  no  one  can  mistake  his  principle  ; 
he  becomes  avowedly  a  follower  of  Christ.  After 
this  act  all  men  have  a  right  to  say  to  him,  "  By 
your  own  solemn  deed  you  are  bound  to  put  off  ev- 
ery inconsistent  habit,  to  renounce  every  unchristian 
temper,  to  eradicate  every  fault,  to  live  in  all  things 
according  to  the  will  of  God."  By  this  act  he  has 
made  it  the  duty  of  all  his  fellow- Christians,  with 
whom  he  associates,  to  admonish,  warn,  animate, 
encourage,  approve,  love,  and  pray  for  him  as  a 
brother.  A  thousand  checks  to  sin  and  a  thousand 
aids  to  godliness  are  that  day  assumed.  Faith,  hope, 
and  love  are  likely  to  be  confirmed.  Henceforth, 
more  bold  in  Christ's  service  and  more  decided  in 
principle,  he  is  likely  to  be  more  useful  in  the  world ; 
and  in  after-life,  how  often  must  this  deliberate  act 
of  self-dedication  to  God  recur  to  his  thoughts  to  re- 
pel temptation  and  to  strengthen  every  holy  princi- 
ple within  him  ? 

If  the  nerves  of  the  timid  may  be  shaken  by  the 
solemn  act  of  dedication  to  Christ  which  fills  stronger 
believers  with  holy  joy  and  gratitude  that  they  are 
permitted  thus  to  honor  him,  this  very  tremor  is 
calculated  to  impress  indelibly  on  their  minds  the 


THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.        267 

engagements  into  which  they  then  entered,  and  to 
render  their  after-course  more  devoted  and  more  con- 
sistent. 

To  witness  the  baptism  of  a  believer  must  be 
useful  to  members  of  the  Church.  Another  soul  is 
rescued  by  Almighty  grace  from  perdition,  and  the 
Church  may  share  with  angels  in  their  joy  over  a 
repentant  sinner.  Another  soldier  enlists  in  Christ's 
army,  and  his  fellow-soldiers  may  renew  their  reso- 
lution to  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith.  At  that  sight 
experienced  Christians  must  revive  their  old  impres- 
sions when  they  first  gave  themselves  to  the  Lord  ; 
backsliders,  moved  to  compunction  at  witnessing  a 
faith  so  contrasted  with  their  faithless  wanderings, 
may  repent ;  young  Christians  must  rejoice  to  admit 
companions  like  themselves  to  the  brotherhood  of  the 
saints  ;  and  the  prayers  and  praises  of  many  must 
ascend  as  an  acceptable  sacrifice  to  God. 

But  there  are  other  spectators  there  who  are  like- 
ly to  derive  benefit  from  the  scene.  Baptism  is  cal- 
culated to  check  those  worldly  and  frivolous  persons 
who  might  inconsiderately  ask  admission  to  a  church. 
A  person  who  intends  to  continue  in  sin  could  not 
like  thus  solemnly  to  renounce  it ;  and,  without  in- 
tending to  lead  a  new  life,  would  not  wish  publicly 
to  profess  such  intention.  Conscience  would  thus 
keep  many  from  joining  the  Church  when  no  secular 
advantages  are  connected  with  it,  and  when  admis- 
sion must  be  sought  by  a  deliberate  and  public  false- 
hood. But  others  would  rather  feel  themselves 
strongly  impelled  to  seek  such  admission.  How  can 
careless  persons  see  one  of  their  acquaintances  re- 
nouncing sin.  and  becoming  a  servant  of  Christ,  ad- 


268        THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM. 

mitted  to  the  fellowship  of  saints,  and  welconaed  by 
many  Christians  as  a  brother,  without  feeling  grieved 
and  alarmed  that  they  have  no  such  place  among 
Christ's  disciples  ?  Belonging  to  no  church,  and 
making  no  profession  of  faith  in  him,  how  can  they 
think  themselves  members  of  the  universal  Church 
for  which  he  gave  himself  to  death,  and  which  he 
loves  with  an  everlasting  love  ?  Especially  on  such 
an  occasion  may  the  children  of  pious  parents  feel 
their  condition  as  unbaptized.  Dedicated  to  God 
from  their  infancy,  and  trained  in  his  ways,  they 
have  received  instruction  and  exhortation  from  their 
parents  ;  they  have  worshiped  with  believers,  and 
seen  Christian  examples  from  their  childhood  ;  and 
now,  while  other  young  persons  are  baptized  as  be- 
lievers, and  welcomed  by  the  Church,  they  are  with- 
out baptism,  without  profession  of  faith,  without  a 
place  in  any  Christian  church,  without  even  a  Chris- 
tian name.  Is  it  the  fear  of  the  world,  or  the  love 
of  pleasure,  or  habitual  frivolity,  which  hinders  ? 
Whatever  it  be,  they  do  not  confess  him,  and  have 
no  reason  to  think  that  he  will  confess  them,  Matt., 
X.,  32.  They  appear  to  be  unregenerate,  and  if  they 
die  so,  will  probably  be  excluded  from  the  Church 
triumphant,  as  they  now  are  from  the  Church  on 
earth.  This  may  well  urge  many  to  seek  decision 
of  principle,  and  give  themselves  up  to  the  Lord. 
Children  in  the  various  schools  connected  with  the 
Church  may  be  no  less  impressed  when  they  see 
some  of  their  companions  turned  from  darkness  to 
light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,  while 
they  remain  impenitent  and  unsaved.  If  any  per- 
sons are  convinced  of  sin,  and  begin  to  seek  salva- 


THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.        269 

tion,  what  can  be  more  proper  to  decide  their  wa- 
vering minds  than  to  see  a  joyful  decision  of  mind 
in  some  who  were  lately  as  far  from  piety  as  them- 
selves ?  And  if  any  who  are  young  and  gay  think 
religion  to  be  gloomy,  and  plead  for  a  little  longer 
indulgence,  what  is  more  likely  to  convert  them  than 
to  see  others  as  young  as  themselves,  as  cheerful, 
and  perhaps  more  intelligent,  scorning  the  servitude 
to  frivolous  pleasures,  make  a  joyful  surrender  of 
themselves  to  the  service  of  God,  aided  by  the  pray- 
ers of  hundreds,  and  cheered  by  the  affectionate  sym- 
pathy of  all  the  children  of  God  ? 

But,  besides  the  influence  which  the  baptism  of 
an  individual  must  have  on  various  classes,  the 
Church  derives  no  small  advantage  from  the  insti- 
tution generally.  The  mixture  of  the  Church  and 
the  world  has  been  one  of  the  most  fatal  evils  which 
have  hindered  the  progress  of  the  Gospel.  Baptism 
is  in  some  degree  a  preventive  of  this  evil.  I  have 
already  noticed  that  few  worldly  persons,  without 
strong  inducements  of  a  worldly  kind,  would  wish 
to  make  so  solemn  a  profession  of  self-dedication  to 
God  falsely.  But,  should  they  wish  to  do  so,  it  is 
not  in  their  power.  The  Church,  which  is  the  judge 
of  the  qualifications  of  candidates  for  membership, 
has  no  right  to  admit  any  one  to  membership  if  the 
baptismal  profession  would  be  palpably  false.  Or- 
dered to  put  away  from  themselves  each  wicked 
person,  they  are  virtually  forbidden  to  receive  such 
(1  Cor.,  v.,  11—13),  and  are  therefore  bound  to  re- 
quire from  each  candidate  a  sound  creed  and  irre- 
proachable conduct.  It  is  not  the  business  of  one 
man  to  read  the  heart  of  another,  nor  ought  church- 


270  THE    EFFECTri    OF    BAPTISM. 

es  to  pretend  to  decide  upon  the  conversion  of  each 
candidate  for  baptism,  but  they  may  require  evan- 
gelical views  and  godly  habits  from  each  ;  and  this 
requirement  manifestly  tends  to  keep  the  churches 
pure.  When  a  church  is  thus  composed  of  members 
vv^ho  have  all  made  this  solemn  profession,  they  may 
refer  to  it  with  powerful  effect  in  all  their  church 
meetings  and  in  their  intercourse  with  one  another. 
I  know  not  how  other  churches  can  apply  with  any 
confidence  or  force  the  apostolic  references  to  bap- 
tism, but  those  churches  which  are  composed  of  per- 
sons baptized  as  believers  may  stir  each  other  up  by 
the  words  of  Paul,  "  Know  ye  not  that  so  many  of 
us  as  have  been  baptized  unto  Christ  Jesus  have 
been  baptized  unto  his  death  ;  therefore  we  are  bur- 
ied with  him  by  baptism  unto  death  ;  that,  like  as 
Christ  was  raised  up  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of 
the  I'ather,  even  so  we  also  should  walk  in  newness 
of  life  ;  for  if  we  have  been  GVjKpvTOt,^  connected 
in  the  likeness  of  his  death,  we  shall  be  also  in  the 
likeness  of  his  resurrection.  .  .  .  Buried  wdth  him  in 
baptism,  wherein  also  ye  are  risen  with  him,  through 
the  faith  of  the  operation  of  God,  who  hath  raised 
him  from  the  dead,"  Rom.,  vi.,  3—5  ;  Co].,  ii.,  12. 
Each  has  a  right  to  expect  from  all  that  they  mor- 
tify every  sinful  temper,  and  live  in  the  practice  of 
all  godliness,  because  they  all  entered  the  Church 
with  this  profession. 

Neither  this  nor  any  other  rite  can  secure  the 
spirituality  of  a  church,  nor  even  hinder  its  defec- 
tion.     A  thousand  other  influences  are  in  operation 

*  **  '2,vfi(pvo[j.aL,  to  be  naturally  or  necessarily  connected,  dA- 
T^.ri'koLg  elg  tv,  elq  ravro" — Liddell. 


THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.        271 

simultaneously  with  this.  Should  a  church  practice 
infant  baptism,  it  may,  notwithstanding  the  noxious 
tendency  of  this  error,  abound  in  piety  ;  and  no  less 
a  church,  which  is  sound  in  its  view  of  baptism,  may 
be  unsound  in  doctrine  and  relaxed  in  discipline,  its 
members  without  spirituality,  and  its  services  with- 
out life.  But  among  the  means  which  tend  to  pre- 
vent such  declension  in  churches,  baptism  clearly 
holds  a  place.  Assuming,  then,  that  a  church  is 
flourishing  in  knowledge  and  in  grace,  the  duty  of 
repelling  from  membership  those  who  have  not  pro- 
fessed, either  at  baptism,  or  from  mistaking  our 
Lord's  commands  vvdth  respect  to  baptism  in  some 
other  way,  their  repentance,  faith,  and  dedication  to 
the  service  of  God,  would  be  fulfilled,  which  would 
maintain  the  purity  of  the  Church,  and  the  world 
would  see  a  Christian  society  separated  from  itself, 
not  more  by  their  evangelical  views  than  by  their 
consistent  godliness. 

II.  On  the  other  hand,  the  effects  of  infant  bap- 
tism have  been  very  opposite. 

1.  Its  first  effect  is  to  abolish  almost  entirely  in 
any  church  and  in  any  nation  the  baptism  of  believ- 
ers. It  is  not  an  addition  to  the  baptism  of  believ- 
ers, but  supersedes  it ;  because,  when  a  nation  adopts 
the  profession  of  Christianity,  almost  all  its  children 
are  baptized,  and  there  remain  no  adults  unbaptized. 
The  consequence  is,  that  all  the  effects  of  the  bap- 
tism of  believers  vanish  with  it.  A  baptism  of  ded- 
ication, not  sanctioned  by  Christ,  and  of  which  no 
instance  is  found  in  the  New  Testament,  has  abol- 
ished the  baptism  of  profession  instituted  by  Christ, 
and  alone  declared  to  be  practiced  by  apostles.     The 


272        THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM. 

intense  emotions  with  which  converts  might  give 
themselves  in  baptism  to  the  service  of  the  Redeem- 
er are  precluded  ;  and  the  Church,  the  congregation, 
the  world,  lose  the  impressions  which  might  be  de- 
rived from  witnessing  the  act  by  which  believers, 
lately  turned  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the 
power  of  Satan  to  God,  surrender  themselves  to  the 
service  of  the  Redeemer.  Christ's  baptism,  with 
all  its  blessings,  is  set  aside  to  introduce  another  bap- 
tism derived  from  false  analogies  and  forced  infer- 
ences, of  which  neither  Christ  nor  his  apostles  have 
said  one  word.  Through  the  baptism  of  uncon- 
scious infants,  the  solemn,  affecting,  and  salutary 
baptism  of  repentance,  faith,  and  self-dedication  to 
God  has  nearly  vanished  from  the  churches. 

2.  What  have  the  churches  gained  by  this  sub- 
stitution ?  I  can  find  no  benefit  whatever  derived 
from  infant  baptism  by  infants,  or  their  parents,  or 
the  churches,  or  the  world.  Infants  altogether  un- 
conscious are  thus  dedicated  to  God,  falsely  by  un- 
believing parents,  and  sincerely  by  parents  who  be- 
lieve. In  the  former  case,  parents  sin  by  an  act  of 
hypocrisy  ;  in  the  second,  they  do  what  they  would 
do  without  baptism,  and  no  more.  But  what  does 
the  infant  gain  ?  "Without  baptism  he  might  re- 
ceive parental  training,  be  placed  under  a  pious  mas- 
ter, listen  to  earnest  preaching,  join  in  the  prayers 
of  the  congregation,  associate  with  godly  friends,  be 
instructed  at  a  good  school,  become  a  member  of  the 
pastor's  Bible  class,  and  attend  the  prayer  meetings 
of  the  congregation.  From  what  means  of  instruc- 
tion is  the  unbaptized  child  of  Christian  parents  ex- 
cluded which  would  be  open  to  the  baptized  child  ? 


THE    EFFECTS    OF    BxYPTISM.  273 

Under  the  Mosaic  economy,  which  was  exclusive,  cir- 
cumcision admitted  the  child  to  the  temple-worship, 
to  the  teaching  of  the  rahbins  or  priests,  to  the  Pass- 
over and  other  festivals,  to  association  v,dth  the  cho- 
sen people,  to  the  use  of  all  the  means  of  instruction 
then  in  the  world,  from  which  the  uncircumcised 
were  excluded  ;  but  under  the  Christian  economy, 
which  is.  meant  for  the  world,  there  is  no  such  ex- 
clusion. The  unbaptized  child  has  all  the  advant- 
ages which  were  possessed  by  the  circumcised  child, 
and  many  more  ;  nay,  further,  he  has  all  the  advant- 
ages possessed  by  the  baptized  child.  In  no  re- 
spect does  the  first  differ  from  the  second,  except 
that  he  does  not  bear  a  name  which  by  itself  is  de- 
lusive and  worse  than  worthless.  The  unauthor- 
ized baptism  of  infants  can  not  be  shown  to  render 
to  them  any  service  whatever.  It  renders  no  ad- 
vantage to  their  parents.  By  the  complete  subjec- 
tion of  a  child  to  the  will  of  his  parents,  by  his  im- 
ploring helplessness,  by  his  docility  and  artlessness, 
by  the  sacred  trust  which  God  has  put  into  the 
hands  of  his  parents,  by  the  parental  love  with  which 
he  has  implored  them,  are  they  bound  and  urged  to 
dedicate  him  from  his  infancy  to  God,  to  instruct 
and  train  him  for  God,  and  guide  him  by  precept 
and  example  to  the  knowledge  and  love  of  his  Maker. 
Can  baptism  add  any  thing  to  these  obhgations  ? 
Does  it  in  fact  ?  Even  parents  who  have  sprinkled 
their  children  feel  the  force  of  these  natural  motives 
day  by  day  a  thousand  times  more  than  they  do  the 
influence  of  that  religious  sprinkling.  Pious  parents 
do  not  need  this  new  inducement  to  educate  their 
children  well ;  ungodly  parents  can  not  feel  its  force. 
S 


274        THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  actual  practice  of  Paedo-Bap- 
tist  churches  too  clearly  proves  that  the  churches 
themselves  take  very  little  interest  in  the  ceremony. 
Baptism,  except  as  far  as  superstition  has  invested 
it  with  imaginary  spiritual  power,  seems  to  me  to 
have  dwindled  into  a  formality. 

Yet  even  this  formality  is  fraught  with  the  ele- 
ments of  positive  mischief.  For  since  all  who  are 
baptized  are  in  some  sense  disciples  (Matt.,  xxviii., 
19),  all  baptized  infants  are  thought  to  become  Chris- 
tians. The  Anglican  churches  say  of  them  that  they 
are  "  members  of  Christ,  children  of  God,  and  inher- 
itors of  the  kingdom  of  heaven." — Church  Cate- 
chism. "  The  visible  society  which  God  was  pleas- 
ed to  institute  among  men  .  .  .  since  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, has  consisted  of  baptized  families  enlarging  to 
many  baptized  nations." — M'Neile's  Lectures,  14. 
"It  is  undeniable,  that  in  Scripture  the  visible  com- 
pany of  the  baptized  is  called  the  Church," — Ibid.y 
18.  In  the  baptismal  service,  each  Anglican  minis- 
ter says  of  each  child  brought  to  him  to  be  sprink- 
led, "  We  receive  this  child  into  the  congregation 
of  Christ's  flock  ;"  and  adds,  "  This  child  is  regen- 
erate, and  grafted  into  the  body  of  Christ's  Church." 
Whereupon  he  further  says,  "We  yield  thee  hearty 
thanks,  most  merciful  Father,  that  it  hath  pleased 
thee  to  regenerate  this  infant  with  thy  Holy  Spirit, 
to  receive  him  for  thine  own  child  by  adoption,  and 
to  incorporate  him  into  thy  holy  Church."  "  Once 
united  in  the  sacrament  to  Christ,  the  child  becomes 
mystically  or  sacramentally  one  of  that  body  of  which 
Christ  is  the  head.  .  .  .  The  formal  mystical  union 
takes  place  individually  at  the  moment,  and  in  the 


THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.        275 

act  of  the  mystical  washing  away  of  sin." — Hoare 
on  Baptism,  262. 

All  this  the  children  within  the  Anglican  estab- 
lishment are  subsequently  taught  by  the  Catechism. 
Each  child  in  all  the  parish  schools,  and  in  every 
Anglican  family  throughout  the  whole  land,  is 
taught  to  say,  in  answer  to  the  question,  "  Who 
gave  you  this  name  ?  My  godfathers  and  godmoth- 
ers in  my  baptism,  wherein  I  was  made  a  member 
of  Christ,  a  child  of  God,  and  an  inheritor  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  Hence  the  children  grow  up 
to  think  themselves  Christians,  and  their  parents 
think  them  the  same.  The  Church  and  the  world 
are  inseparably  blended  ;  the  Church  swells  into  the 
nation,  the  nation  becomes  the  Church. 

"  We  hold,"  says  Hooker,  "  that  seeing  there  is 
not  any  man  of  the  Church  of  England  but  the 
same  man  is  also  a  member  of  the  commonwealth, 
nor  any  member  of  the  commonwealth  Avhich  is  not 
also  of  the  Church  of  England  .  .  .  one  and  the  same 
multitude  may  in  such  sort  be  both." — Book  viii. 

By  this  means  interminable  confusion  has  spread 
over  the  churches.  The  Church  is  in  the  New 
Testament  Christ's  bride,  which  he  intends  to  pre- 
sent to  himself  without  fault  (Eph.,  vi.,  25—27),  the 
company  of  the  first-born,  whose  names  are  written 
in  heaven  (Heb.,  xii.,  23)  ;  but  now  there  is  a  new 
society,  unknown  in  the  New  Testament,  which  men 
call  "  the  visible  Church,"  another  body  of  Christ, 
another  bride,  composed  of  baptized  nations.  The 
churches  which  were  composed  of  those  alone,  who 
were  in  reality,  or  in  appearance,  saints  and  faithful 
brethren,  are  now  composed  of  all  who  were  sprinkled 


276        THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM. 

in  infancy  without  their  own  consent  or  knowledge, 
of  all  opinions  and  of  all  characters.  So  we  hear 
of  Christian  nations  and  Christian  Parliaments,  with- 
out any  reference  whatever  to  character,  or  even  to 
any  explicit  profession,  solely  in  virtue  of  this  infant 
sprinkling.  Sometimes,  also,  we  hear*  of  "  good 
Christians"  and  of  "  bad  Christians."  The  passages 
of  Scripture  which  urge  Christians  to  separate  from 
the  world  have  lost  their  >meaning.  There  is  no 
"  world"  in  England  ;  the  "  world"  is  the  Church  ; 
and  Christians  must  not  separate  from  the  Church. 
Scripture  insists  upon  the  necessity  of  a  new  birth  ; 
but  with  what  force  can  its  appeal  come  to  those 
who  have  been  already  in  baptism  *'  regenerated 
with  the  Holy  Spirit  ?" — Baptismal  Service. 

The  awful  warnings  of  Scripture  to  the  uncon- 
verted are  limited  to  heathens  and  Jews  ;  the  priv- 
ileges exclusively  belonging  to  saints  are  ascribed  to 
all  who  bear  the  Christian  name.  By  this  unhap- 
py practice  of  infant  baptism,  all  distinctness  of 
warning  is  banished  from  many  pulpits.  I  have 
heard  men  appealed  to  in  the  pulpit  as  "Chris- 
tians living  in  known  sin  ;  Christians  neglecting  the 
Bible  and  prayer  ;  Christians  ungodly  in  heart  and 
life."  Addressed  as  Christians,  they  could  not  think 
that  they  needed  a  complete  change.  A  develop- 
ment of  latent  grace,  the  revival  of  a  dormant  piety, 
was  all  that  they  could  require.  Already  regener- 
ate Christians,  enjoying  the  intercession  of  Christ  for 
them,  and  subjects  of  the  common  influences  of  the 
Spirit,  a  little  improvement  at  the  close  of  life  would 
surely  suffice  to  save  them. 

An  indistinctness  of  this  kind  is  often  perceptible 


THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.        277 

in  the  pulpits  of  Anglican  ministers,  who  reject  the 
notion  that  baptism  generally  effects  the  spiritual 
regeneration  of  infants.  Baptism  must  do  some- 
thing ;  it  must  make  the  children  in  some  sense 
Christians,  "  members  of  Christ,  children  of  God, 
and  inheritors  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  And 
that  is  enough  to  enfeeble  fatally  all  appeals  to  the 
unconverted.  But  infant  baptism  has  very  natural 
ly  led  to  the  worse  notion  of  baptismal  regeneration  ; 
to  the  notion  that  the  one  spiritual  regeneration  nec- 
essary to  salvation,  and  which  is  itself  the  source  of 
salvation,  is  accomplished  by  baptism.  Since  the 
Scriptures  declare  that  persons  are  to  be  baptized 
for  the  remission  of  sins  (Acts,  ii.,  38),  that  they 
should  be  "  baptized  and  wash  away  their  sins" 
(Acts,  xxii.,  16),  that  they  are  ''  buried  with  Christ, 
and  rise  with  him"  in  baptism  (Col.,  ii.,  12),  that 
the  baptized  "put  on  Christ"  (Gal.,  iii.,  27),  and 
that  they  are  "saved"  by  baptism  (1  Pet.,  iii.,  21) 
— if  these  passages  are  applied  to  infants,  it  is  very 
difficult  to  avoid  the  conclusioi\  that  they  are  re- 
newed and  justified  in  baptism.  Believers  being 
required  to  exercise  faith  before  they  come  to  bap- 
tism, it  is  easy  to  understand,  with  reference  to  them, 
that  baptism  is  in  all  these  cases  put  for  the  profes- 
sion of  faith — for  that  real  faith  which,  being  proved 
by  confession,  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  and  secures 
remission  of  sins  ;  but  as  infants  are  incapable^  of 
faith,  if  these  passages  apply  to  them,  they  must  ex- 
press the  'results  effected  by  their  baptism,  in  other 
words,  their  baptismal  regeneration.  By  this  doc- 
trine baptized  nations  are  regenerated  and  justified 
in  infancy  ;  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  regeneration 


278        THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM. 

effected  by  the  Spirit  of  God  through  his  word, 
James,  i.,  18  ;  1  Pet.,  i.,  23.  Except  in  very  rare 
cases,  none  are  justified  by  faith,  for  they  are  justi- 
fied in  infancy.  And  the  following  tractarian  doc- 
trine triumphs  :  "  The  sacraments,  not  preaching, 
are  the  sources  of  divine  grace." — Tracts,  vol.  i., 
p.  4.  "  They  are  the  only  justifying  rites  or  in- 
struments of  conveying  the  atonement." — Tract  90, 
p.  46.  "  Regeneration  in  baptism  is  the  very  spirit 
and  essence  of  the  vi^hole  teaching  of  the  Church." 
— Plain  Words,  p.  21.  '•  The  two  sacraments  of 
the  Gospel  are  those  v^^hich  directly  communicate 
Christ  to  the  soul." — British  Critic,  July,  1843, 
p.  51.  "In  baptism  itself  two  very  different  causes 
are  combined,  the  one  God  himself,  the  other  a  creat- 
ure which  he  has  thought  fit  to  hallow  for  this  end." 
— Pusey  Tract,  67.  "  Pvegeneration  is  the  being 
born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  or  by  God's  Spirit 
again  moving  on  the  face  of  the  waters,  and  sancti- 
fying them  for  our  cleansing,  and  cleansing  us  there- 
by."— Ibid. 

''  And  is  not  this  fundamental  error,"  says  a  pious 
Anglican  writer,  "  the  mighty  mischief  which  is  now 
desolating  our  Church  ?  All  the  evils  which  have 
ever  been  ascribed  to  the  doctrines  of  grace,  with  all 
their  perversions  and  all  their  misapprehensions, 
must  sink  into  insignificance  when  compared  with 
those  which  daily  and  palpably  issue  from  the  asser- 
tion of  the  general  efficacy  of  baptism  in  all  who 
partake  of  that  rite."  "  As  Bishop  Jewell  asserts, 
Verily,  to  ascribe  felicity  or  remission  of  sin,  which 
is  the  inward  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  unto  any 
manner  of  outward  action  whatsoever,  it  is  a  super- 


THE  EFFECTS  OF  BAPTISM.        279 

stitioiis,  a  gross,  and  a  Jewish  error."  "  Thus  eon- 
founding  circumstantials  with  essentials,  all  the  mis- 
chiefs of  delusion  follow,  and  the  Christian  body, 
thus  feeding  on  wind  instead  of  wholesome  nutri- 
ment, is  starved,  and  faints,  and  decays." — Bucld, 
9,  10,  6.  But,  so  long  as  infant  baptism  continues 
to  be  practiced,  this  "  gross  superstition,"  this  "  mighty 
mischief,"  must  continue,  because  it  springs  necessa- 
rily from  the  application  of  the  scriptural  statements 
respecting  the  baptism  of  believers  to  the  baptism 
of  infants  ;  and  while  infant  baptism  lasts,  there  be- 
ing only  one  baptism  enacted  by  Christ,  they  must 
be  so  applied. 


CHAPTEPv  V. 


PRACTICAL    INFERENCES. 


Section  I,  Some  Reasons  ivhy  a  Person  ivho  re- 
nounces PcBclo- Baptism,  after  having  made  a 
Profession  of  Religion,  ought  to  he  baptized.  . 

There  are  two  things  in  baptism,  the  form  and 
the  reaUty  :  the  form  is  immersion  in  water  ;  the 
reahty  is  a  profession  of  repentance  and  faith,  of 
which  the  form  is  significant.  One  who  was  sprink- 
led in  his  infancy  has  not,  in  his  passive  reception 
of  that  rite,  either  compUed  with  the  form  or  fulfilled 
the  reality  of  baptism  :  he  has  not  been  immersed, 
and  he  has  made  no  baptismal  profession  of  faith. 
He  is,  therefore,  unbaptized  ;  and  any  one  who  in 
these  circumstances  renounces  the  practice  of  Psedo- 
Baptism  as  erroneous,  knows  that  he  is  so. 

As  there  is  no  instance  in  the  New  Testament  of 
any  person  who  was  converted  to  Ciirist  after  he 
commissioned  his  disciples  to  baptize,  coming  to  the 
Lord's  table  unbaptized,  a  person  who  should  do  so 
now  would  place  himself  in  a  situation  unlike  that 
of  all  the  Christians  during  the  ministry  of  the  apos- 
tles. It  is  safer  to  conform  to  the  apostolic  custom, 
and  to  attend  the  Lord's  table  as  baptized  rather 
than  as  unbaptized. 

A  person  sprinkled  in  infancy  may,  indeed,  have 


REASONS  FOR  BAPTISM.  281 

professed  his  faith  in  Christ  by  coming  to  the  Lord's 
table,  and  in  other  ways,  but  he  has  never  made  a 
baptismal  profession  of  faith  according  to  Christ's 
commands  both  implied  and  expressed,  Matt.,  xxviii., 
19  ;  Mark,  xvi.,  16  ;  John,  iii.,  5  ;  Acts,  ii.,  38. 
His  confession  of  Christ  in  one  appointed  way  seems 
to  be  no  valid  reason  for  neglecting  to  confess  him 
in  another  concurrent  way,  which  is  no  less  un- 
equivocally prescribed.  Like  the  Psedo-Baptist,  the 
Quaker  might  profess  his  faith  in  Christ  in  word  and 
deed,  be  avowedly  a  disciple  of  Christ,  and  openly 
seek  fellowship  v.dth  his  people.  Like  Mr.  J.  J. 
Gurney,  he  may  have  defended  the  Gospel  by  his 
pen,  promoted  it  by  his  preaching,  and  illustrated  it 
by  his  Christian  virtues  ;  and  yet,  when  such  a  man 
recognizes  that  Christ  has  enjoined  upon  all  his  fol- 
lowers to^he  end  of  time  the  baptism  of  water  as 
emblematic  of  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  he  is  held 
by  all  evangelical  churches  bound  to  honor  Christ 
by  complying  with  his  command  to  be  baptized. 
Every  Christian  minister  would  advise  him  to  be 
baptized  ;  every  convert  to  the  doctrine  of  water 
baptism  in  such  circumstances  complies  with  the 
command.  It  is  not  because,  then,  for  the  first  time 
he  professes  to  believe  in  Christ.  His  faith  may 
have  been  active,  his  conduct  devoted  for  years,  but 
he  has  learned  a  command  of  Christ  with  which  he 
was  before  unacquainted,  and  he  wishes  to  fulfill  it. 
He  is  baptized,  although  he  has  long  professed  his 
faith  in  Christ,  because  he  wishes  to  honor  the  ordi- 
nance of  Christ.  Now  what  is  the  difference  be- 
tween his  case  and  that  of  the  person  who,  after  a 
similar  course  of  discipleship,  renounces  Psedo-Bap- 


282  PRACTICAL    INFERENCES. 

tism  ?  Both  are  equally  unbaptized,  and  both  have 
openly  served  Christ.  There  is  no  difference  be- 
tween them  in  this  matter.  Why  should  the  one 
be  baptized  and  the  other  remain  unbaptized  ?  Why 
should  all  ministers  and  all  churches  claim  this  act 
of  obedience  from  the  one  disciple,  and  not  equally 
demand  it  from  the  other  ? 

Upon  this  point,  the  reason  which  our  Lord  as- 
signed for  his  baptism  by  the  hands  of  John  seems 
to  me  conclusive.  The  following  is  the  narrative 
of  the  transaction:  "  Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Gali- 
lee to  Jordan  unto  John,  to  be  baptized  of  him.  But 
John  forbade  him,  saying,  I  have  need  to  be  baptized 
of  thee,  and  comest  thou  to  me  ?  And  Jesus  an- 
swering, said  unto  him,  Suffer  it  to  be  so  now  ;  for 
thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness,"  Matt., 
iii.,  13-15. 

"  There  was  no  particular  precept  in  the  Old 
Testament  requiring  this,  but  he  chose  to  give  the 
sanction  of  his  example  to  the  baptism  of  John  as 
to  a  divine  ordinance." — Barnes. 

"Nor  could  it  be  more  efTectually  shown  how 
great  an  honor  is  due  to  the  rites  instituted  by  God, 
than  when  Christ  himself  commended  their  use  to 
us  by  his  own  example." — Grotius. 

He  came  unto  John  to  be  baptized,  "  that  he 
might  honor  John's  ministry,  acknowledge  his  com- 
mission to  baptize,  and  might  confirm  the  institution 
of  baptism  by  water,"  saying,  "  Thus  it  becomes  us, 
me,  and  my  disciples  according  to  my  example,  to 
fulfill  all  righteousness,  to  do  whatsoever  is  just,  fit, 
and  requisite  in  our  circumstances.  It  becometh 
every  messenger  of  God,  and  even  every  follower  of 


REASONS    FOR    BAPTISM.  283 

mine,  to  observe  every  divine  appointment,  and  to 
honor  every  divine  ordinance." — Benson. 

"  We  may  learn  from  this  example  of  Christ  that 
being  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  will  excuse  none 
for  contempt  or  neglect  of  baptism  by  water,  because 
it  is  the  revealed  will  of  God  that  all  the  members 
of  his  Church  should  come  under  that  ordinance  ; 
so,  as  there  is  a  fulfilling  of  righteousness  in  our  case 
as  well  as  in  Christ's  ...  he  that  erreth  through 
ignorance  will  correct  his  error  upon  better  informa- 
tion."— Poole. 

"  They  who  are  of  greatest  attainments  in  gifts 
and  graces  should  yet  bear  their  testimony  to  insti- 
tuted ordinances  by  an  humble  and  diligent  attend- 
ance upon  them,  that  they  may  give  a  good  exam- 
ple to  others." — Henry. 

"  We  never  find  that  Jesus  spoke  of  himself  in 
the  plural  number,  and  must,  therefore,  allow  that  he 
meant  John  also  and  all  the  servants  of  God  in  a 
subordinate  sense.  It  became  Christ,  as  our  surety 
and  our  example,  perfectly  to  fulfill  all  righteousness ; 
and  it  becometh  us  to  walk  in  all  God's  command- 
ments and  ordinances  without  exception." — Scott. 

When  the  Quaker,  on  recognizing  the  doctrine  of 
water  baptism,  after,  it  may  be,  years  of  Christian 
profession,  is  baptized,  he  fulfills  an  act  of  righteous- 
ness after  this  example  of  Christ.  Exactly  in  the 
same  degree  does  each  unbaptized  disciple  of  Christ, 
who  is  baptized,  fulfill  it  :  in  honoring  baptism,  he 
honors  Christ  who  has  instituted  it ;  and  this  seems 
exactly  the  point  of  obedience  which  his  example 
was  intended  to  enforce.  Undoubtedly  it  should  lead 
his  followers  generally  to  honor  all  his  ordinances; 


284  PRACTICAL    INFERENCES. 

but  that  which  it  especially  teaches  is  that  when, 
like  him,  they  have  no  need  of  baptism,  they  should, 
like  him,  honor  it.  Our  Lord  was  now  thirty  years 
of  age,  perfect  in  holiness,  and  openly  serving  God 
in  all  holy  obedience,  yet  neither  his  age,  nor  his 
character,  nor  his  zeal  and  piety,  known  to  all  who 
knew  him,  hindered  him  from  setting  this  example 
to  others  of  respect  for  baptism  as  an  ordinance  of 
God.  If,  therefore,  any  persons  have  made  a  pro- 
fession of  religion  as  many  years  as  Jesus  had,  but 
are  still  unbaptized,  they  may  see  in  his  conduct  the 
course  which  they  ought  to  take.  Baptism,  as  an 
ordinance  of  Christ,  ought  to  be  honored  by  all  his 
disciples,  and  how  can  the  unbaptized  honor  it  ex- 
cept by  being  baptized  ? 

In  studying  the  example  of  Christ,  we  further 
learn  to  consider  the  influence  which  our  example 
may  have  on  others.  Baptism,  as  a  profession  of 
faith  appointed  by  Christ,  being  of  great  importance 
to  the  Church,  it  is  necessary  that  it  should  be  earn- 
estly commended  to  the  attention  of  unconverted 
persons,  whose  consciences  it  is  well  calculated  to 
awaken  to  a  wholesome  activity  :  all  such  ought  to 
begin  their  religious  profession  by  being  baptized. 
But  with  what  effect  can  unbaptized  persons  urge 
the  duty  of  baptism  on  others  ?  Actions  teach  more 
than  words;  and  if  those  who  hold  the  immersion 
of  believers  to  be  the  only  baptism  appointed  by 
Christ  do  yet  remain  unbaptized,  the  world  in  general 
must  judge  that  they  also  may  safely  remain  in  the 
same  condition.  You  urge  upon  some  young  Chris- 
tian the  duty  of  baptism,  but  he  may  answer,  "  Why 
should  I  encounter  the  self-denial  of  baptism,  since 


REASONS  FOR  BAPTISM.  285 

you  have  escaped  it  ?"  There  is  a  difference  be- 
tween the  cases,  I  admit ;  but  will  those  who  wish 
for  a  plea  by  which  they  may  escape  a  self-denying 
duty  recognize  this  difference  ?  If  not,  then  your 
neglect  of  baptism  will  confirm  theirs. 

Especially  ought  this  last  consideration  to  weigh 
with  ministers  whose  office  it  is  to  lead  men  to  a 
baptismal  profession  of  faith.  "  It  becomes  us  to 
countenance  and  encourage  every  thing  that  is  good 
by  pattern  as  well  as  precept.  Christ  often  men- 
tioned John  and  his  baptism  with  honor,  which,  that 
he  might  do  the  better,  he  was  himself  baptized. 
Thus  Jesus  began  first  to  do  and  then  to  teach,  and 
his  ministers  must  take  the  same  method." — Henry. 

A  minister  ought  to  be  baptized,  first,  that  he 
may  be  able  effectually  to  recommend  baptism  to 
those  who  are  converted  through  his  ministry  from 
a  life  of  ungodliness  to  a  life  of  faith  ;  secondly,  be- 
cause those  who  wish  to  be  baptized  by  him  might 
feel  a  doubt  as  to  the  validity  of  baptism  by  an  un- 
baptized  minister,  and  might  fear  to  receive  baptism 
at  his  hands  unless  he  were  baptized. 

It  is,  moreover,  well  known  that  many  churches 
admit  to  the  Lord's  table  none  who  are  unbaptized. 
In  my  opinion,  this  practice  is  erroneous  ;  but  as  it 
is  sanctioned  by  the  practice  of  nearly  all  Christian 
churches,  because  nearly  all  reject  unbaptized  per- 
sons from  the  Lord's  table,  it  should  be  respected  as 
the  result  of  conscientious  conviction  rather  than  be 
treated  as  an  offense.  With  these  churches,  there- 
fore, each  person  agreeing  with  them  respecting  the 
doctrine  of  baptism  ought  to  be  in  communion,  if  he 
can  be  so  without  compromise  of  principle.     Now, 


286  PRACTICAL    INFERENCES. 

since  communion  with  them  in  the  Lord's  Supper 
no  more  impUes  a  sanction  of  their  exclusive  prac- 
tice than  a  similar  communion  with  a  pious  church 
within  the  Establishment,  or  with  a  pious  Presby- 
terian church,  or  with  a  pious  Wesleyan  church, 
would  sanction  the  particular  opinions  of  these 
churches,  it  ought  to  be  sought ;  and  the  more  so, 
as  their  brotherly  intercourse  with  Christians  of 
more  liberal  views  tends  to  render  them  more  lib- 
eral. But  it  can  only  be  obtained  by  baptism  ; 
and  the  act  of  baptism  being  in  itself  right,  it  must 
be  also  right  to  enter  into  communion  with  such 
churches  in  this  way. 

Considerations  of  this  kind  have  so  weighed  with 
hose  who  have  studied  this  question,  that  of  all  the 
ministers  who  are  known  to  have  renounced  the  doc- 
trine of  Psedo-Baptism,  very  few,  I  suppose,  could 
be  found  who  have  not  been  themselves  baptized. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  know  nothing  which  can  be 
alleged  against  this  course  except  that  it  is  calcula- 
ted to  excite  prejudice,  and  thereby  lessen  usefulness. 
But  this  is,  when  well  considered,  an  argument  in 
its  favor.  For  why  should  the  act  of  baptism  ex- 
cite more  prejudice  than  the  maintenance  of  the  cor- 
responding opinion  ?  The  reason  is,  because  the  act 
teaches  the  doctrine  more  publicly  and  more  influen- 
tially.  If  you  avoid  baptism,  others  will  avoid  it ; 
if  you  accept  it,  others  will  accept  it.  But  these 
are  reasons  for  your  baptism,  and  not  against  it. 

There  remains  nothing  else  to  allege  against  it, 
except  that  it  may  expose  you  to  some  measure  of 
contempt ;  and  if  you  think  of  the  cross  of  Christ, 
you  will  not  shrink  from  this  lighter  cross. 


REASONS  FOR  FREE  COM.MUNION.     287 

Section  II.   Reasons  for  Free  Communion. 

As  many  Baptists,  knowing  that  infant  sprinkling 
is  not  the  baptism  enjoined  by  Christ,  and  that  Pas- 
do-Baptists  are  therefore  unbaptized,  think  that  they 
ought  not  to  be  admitted  to  the  table  of  the  Lord 
in  Baptist  churches,  I  will  now  state  some  of  the 
considerations  which  appear  to  establish  an  opposite 
conclusion.  Like  the  strict  Baptists,  I  believe  each 
person  who  has  been  merely  sprinkled  in  infancy  is 
unbaptized,  because  the  external  act  of  baptism  is 
immersion,  and  that  act  is  meant  to  be  a  profession 
of  repentance  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
The  person  sprinkled  in  infancy  has  neither  been 
immersed,  nor  has  he  made,  through  his  reception 
of  the  sprinkled  water,  any  profession  whatever  of 
discipleship ;  he  is,  therefore,  wholly  unbaptized ;  and 
it  is  regarding  him  simply  as  an  unbaptized  believer 
that  I  advocate  his  right  to  a  place  at  the  Lord's 
table  in  a  Baptist  church.  It  is  of  no  moment  to 
the  settlement  of  this  question  whether  Psedo-Bap- 
tists  would  repudiate  or  not  the  proposal  to  admit 
them  to  communion  with  Baptist  churches  as  unbap- 
tized. We  have  only  to  examine  truth  and  duty. 
If  they  claim  the  admission  of  the  validity  of  their 
baptism,  we  are  obliged  to  refuse  their  claim,  because 
truth  does  not  allow  it ;  and  if  they  would  not  wish 
for  communion  with  us  on  those  terms,  we  must  still 
advocate  it  because  truth  demands  it.  "Our  con- 
duct on  such  questions  should  not  be  governed  by 
affection  any  more  than  by  disaffection,  but  by  a  re- 
gard to  the  revealed  will  of  Christ." 

There  are  many  Psedo-Baptists  who  love  and  serve 


288  PRACTICAL  INFERENCES. 

the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  are  his  members,  his 
servants,  his  soldiers,  his  friends.  They  maintain 
his  authority,  promote  his  cause,  copy  his  example, 
obey  his  precepts,  and  live  for  his  glory.  They  love 
him,  and  are  therefore  loved  by  him  (John,  xiv.,  21), 
and  to  each  of  them  he  will  say  at  last,  "  Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant  .  .  .  enter  thou  into  the 
joy  of  thy  Lord,"  Matt.,  xxv.,  23. 

Why  ought  not  Baptists  to  own  them  as  brethren  ? 
All  who  are  the  servants  of  Christ  ought  to  be  own- 
ed as  such.  If  he  honors  and  loves  them,  it  is  not 
his  will  that  their  fellow-servants  should  dishonor 
them.  God  has  made  them  his  children  by  adop- 
tion and  grace,  and  can  not  be  pleased  to  see  that 
while  they  are  owned  by  him  they  are  disowned  by 
their  brethren.  It  must  be  right  to  own  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  wherever  it  is  accomplished,  and 
to  choose  those  for  our  friends  whom  he  has  chosen 
to  be  his  temples,  1  Cor.,  vi.,  19.  It  is  according 
to  nature  and  grace  too,  that  the  sheep  of  the  same 
flock,  under  the  same  shepherd,  should  walk  together 
and  feed  together  in  the  same  pastures,  John,  x.,  16. 
Brothers  ought  to  sit  down  together  at  their  Fa- 
ther's table  (John,  i.,  12  ;  Gal.,  iv.,  4,  5  ;  Matt., 
xxiii.,  8) ;  servants  in  the  same  household  ought  to 
be  in  friendly  association  (Heb.,  iii.,  6  ;  Gal.,  vi.,  10)  ; 
and  soldiers  of  the  same  army  ought  to  be  united, 
Eph.,  vi.,  10-17  :    1  Thess.,  v.,  8. 

What  their  circumstances  dictate  the  word  of  God 
likewise  enjoins.  To  all  his  disciples,  without  ex- 
ception, Christ  has  said,  "By  this  shall  all  men  know 
that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  an- 
other," John,  xiii.,  35.     They  must  therefore  so  man- 


REASONS    FOR    FREE    COMMUNION.  289 

ifest  their  mutual  affection  by  brotherly  fellowship 
that  all  men  may  know  it.  Not  for  the  apostles 
only,  but  for  all  believers,  has  Christ  thus  prayed  : 
"  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also 
which  shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word  ;  that 
they  all  may  be  one,  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me,  and 
I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us  ;  that  the 
world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me,"  John, 
xvii.,  20.  Their  union,  therefore,  must  be  so  mani- 
fested by  brotherly  fellowship  that  the  world  may 
see  it  and  be  converted  by  it.  Hence  the  Apostle 
Paul,  adverting  to  the  differences  of  opinion  which 
divided  the  Christians  at  Rome,  wrote  to  them,  and, 
through  them,  to  all  real  Christians  :  "  Him  that  is 
weak  in  the  faith,  receive  ye,  but  not  to  doubtful  dis- 
putations," Rom.,  xiv.,  1.  If  the  Jewish  Christian 
had  not  light  enough  to  throw  off  the  Jewish  ordi- 
nances as  abolished  in  Christ,  he  was  not,  therefore, 
to  be  repelled  from  communion  with  those  who  had 
more  knowledge  ;  nor  should  the  strong  dispute  with 
him,  except  as  he  sought  it,  and  as  just  occasions 
were  presented,  respecting  his  peculiar  views.  If, 
likewise,  the  Psedo-Baptist  has  not  light  enough  to 
throw  off  the  Jewish  ordinance  of  infant  circumcis- 
ion, but  must  revive  it  in  infant  baptism,  he  is  not 
to  be  repelled  from  communion  with  those  to  whom 
God  has  given  more  knowledge  in  this  matter.  "  Re- 
ceive ye  one  another,"  continued  the  apostle,  "  as 
Christ  also  received  us,  to  the  glory  of  God,"  Rom., 
XV.,  7.  We  are  called  to  receive  all  Christ's  disci- 
ples, notwithstanding  their  errors,  as  Christ  has  re- 
ceived us,  notwithstanding  ours.  ,  If  we  must  not 
openly  acknowledge  them  because  of  some  defects  in 
T 


290  PRACTICAL  INFERENCES. 

knowledge,  why  should  Christ  accept  ns,  notwith- 
standing greater  defects  ?  The  great  ground  of  this 
open  reception,  this  free  brotherly  intercourse,  is  stat- 
ed by  St.  Paul  in  these  words  :  "  Let  not  him  that 
eateth  not,  judge  him  that  eateih,  for  God  hath  re- 
ceived Mtii,'"  Rom.,  xiv.,  3.  In  other  words,  let 
not  the  Baptist  who  can  not  baptize  infants  condemn 
pious  Psedo-Baptists  who  do  baptize  them,  because 
their  faithful  profession  and  their  holy  life  prove  that 
God  has  received  them  ;  and  those  who  are  accept- 
ed by  God  as  his  beloved  children  are  surely  good 
enough  to  be  welcomed  by  erring  and  sinful  follow- 
ers of  Christ  as  beloved  brethren. 

All  this  is,  indeed,  granted  by  the  advocates  for 
strict  communion. 

'•'■  Elsewhere  and  in  all  other  things,"  is  their  lan- 
guage, "  we  own  as  brethren  and  honor  godly  Psedo- 
Baptists,  but  we  must  not  admit  them  to  the  table 
of  the  Lord."  "  If  I  have  any  thing,"  says  one  of 
them,  "■  like  Christian  love  in  me,  I  feel  it  toward 
all  those  in  whom  I  perceive  the  image  of  Christ, 
whether  they  be  Baptists  or  Pcedo-Baptists,  and  my 
refusing  to  commune  with  them  at  the  Lord's  table 
is  not  because  I  consider  them  as  improper  subjects." 
— A.  Fioller. 

"  We  do  receive  our  Psedo-Baptist  brethren  in  the 
sense  of  the  apostle.  .  .  .  We  work  with  them  in  the 
common  cause  of  Christ,  in  prayer,  in  missionary, 
Bible,  and  religious  tract  meetings  ;  we  pray  for 
them,  and  esteem  them  highly-in  love  for  their  work's 
sake  ;  we  rejoice  in  their  spiritual  prosperity  ;  we 
preach  for  them,  and  they  for  us  ;  and  we  would 
with  great  pleasure  receive  them  to  the  table  of  the 


REASONS    FOR    FREE    COMMUNION.  291 

Lord,  if  we  had  authority  from  the  Sacred  Volume 
for  so  doing  ;  but  we  conscientiously  believe  we  have 
not." — Primitive  Church  Magazine,  June,  1849. 

According  to  this  doctrine,  Peedo-Baptists  are 
"  brethren,"  yet  must  not  sit  down  with  their  broth- 
ers at  the  table  of  their  Elder  Brother,  Heb.,  ii.,  11. 
As  "brethren,"  they  are  Christ's  disciples,  and  there- 
fore commanded  by  him  to  eat  and  drink  in  memo- 
ry of  him  (Matt.,  xxvi.,  26),  but  they  must  not  eat 
and  drink  with  their  fellow-servants.  They  are  wel- 
come guests  to  their  Lord,  but  are  repelled  by  their 
fellow-guests.  Elsewhere  they  are  owned  to  be 
brethren,  but  the  chief  sign  of  brotherhood  must  be 
withheld  from  them.  They  may  lead  the  prayers 
of  their  fellow-Christians,  and  they  may  instruct  the 
Churches  as  enlightened  and  holy  ministers  of  Christ ; 
yet  in  that  ordinance  which  is  specially  appointed  to 
be  a  sign  of  the  communion  of  saints  and  the  unity 
of  the  body  (1  Cor.,  x.,  17),  they  must  be  put  out, 
as  though  they  were  not  members.  What  a  spec- 
tacle is  thus  afforded  to  the  world,  who  see  with  con- 
tempt that  the  most  earnest  followers  of  the  Redeem- 
er can  not  even  commemorate  his  death  together  I 
When  the  saints  of  Jesus  are  thus  put  out  of  the 
communion  of  any  of  his  churches,  are  not  those  who 
put  them  out  treading  in  the  steps  of  Diotrephes  (3 
John,  10),  though  with  a  different  spirit  ? 

No  :  it  is  replied,  '•'  We  are  willing  to  receive  all 
who  appear  to  have  been  received  of  God  to  the  or- 
dinances of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  .  .  . 
But  we  can  not  divide  the  one  from  the  other  with- 
out dispensing  with  an  institution  of  Christ."  But 
this  is  no  reception  of  them.      They  can  no  more 


292         PRACTICAL  INFERENCES. 

force  their  convictions  than  you  can ;  and  therefore 
you  say  to  them  in  effect,  Unless  you  will  forego 
what  you  believe  to  be  a  duty,  the  baptism  of  in- 
fants, and  accept  us  as  authoritative  expositors  of 
Christian  doctrine,  we  must  expel  you  from  our  so- 
ciety, when  we  commemorate  the  dying  love  of  our 
Lord,  and  meet  as  brethren  in  his  name. 

That  there  is  "an  instituted  connection  between 
baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,"  I  freely  admit ; 
and  it  is  no  less  clear,  that  after  the  institution  of 
baptism  by  our  Ldrd,  no  person  who  refused  to  be 
baptized  was  ever  admitted  in  any  Christian  church 
to  that  supper.  But  neither  of  these  facts  afford 
reason  for  the  rejection  of  Psedo-Baptists,  as  such, 
from  it.  Baptism  being  the  appointed  rite  by  which 
believers  then  professed  their  repentance  and  faith, 
no  one  could  then  refuse  it  without  willfully  disobey- 
ing the  commands  of  Christ,  and  no  willfully  disobe- 
dient person  could  be  admitted  to  the  communion  of 
saints  ;  but  as  the  unbaptized  person  was  then  ex- 
cluded from  the  Lord's  Supper,  so  he  was  excluded 
from  every  other  act  which  would  mark  him  to  be 
a  Christian  brother.  He  could  not  take  the  lead  in 
their  social  prayers  ;  he  could  not  preach  to  the 
gathered  Church  ;  he  was  not  recognized  as  a  min- 
ister of  Christ ;  he  was  not  owned  even  as  a  brother. 
These  facts  abundantly  show  the  difference  between 
his  case  and  that  of  the  godly  Psedo-Baptist  now. 
"While  the  one  could  neither  preach  nor  pray  in  pub- 
lic, the  other  is  invited  by  strict  Baptist  churches  to 
do  both.  While  the  one  was  esteemed  a  disobedient 
unbeliever,  the  other  is  owned  by  them  to  be  a  godly 
minister  of  Christ.     To  reject  the  one  from  the  table 


REASONS    FOR    FREE    COMMUNION.  293 

of  the  Lord  was  consistent,  to  reject  the  other  appears 
to  be  grossly  inconsistent.  If  the  Psedo-Baptist  be 
a  disobedient  unbeHever,  reject  him  from  the  Lord's 
table,  and  also  from  every  other  function  and  privi- 
lege exclusively  appropriate  to  believers  ;  if  he  be  an 
obedient  believer,  admit  him  to  these  functions,  but 
with  them  admit  him  also  to  the  Lord's  table. 

But  how  can  the  godly  Psedo-Baptist  be  excluded 
on  these  terms  ?  He  is  no  more  a  disobedient  un- 
believer than  the  strictest  of  the  Baptists  who  would 
exclude  him.  The  reason  why  he  is  a  Psedo-Bap- 
tist is,  that  he  believes  the  baptism  of  infants  to  be 
according  to  the  will  of  Christ.  What  person  was 
ever  excluded  from  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the  apos- 
tolic churches  for  doing  all  that  he  believed,  after 
searching  of  the  Scriptures  and  listening  to  apostles, 
to  be  according  to  the  will  of  Christ  ?  What  up- 
right and  earnest  believer  was  ever  in  those  days  ex- 
cluded ?  What  member  of  one  church  was  refused 
communion  with  the  members  of  another  ?  In  what 
apostolic  church  were  ever  such  men  as  Baxter, 
Howe,  and  Flavel,  Doddridge  and  Whitfield,  Ed- 
wards and  Payson,  Fletcher,  Martin,  Brainerd,  and 
Chalmers,  men  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom, 
walking  with  God  and  laboring  for  Christ,  refused 
such  communion  ?  It  was  reserved  for  worse  days 
to  see  so  strange  a  spectacle. 

W^hat  if  these  good  soldiers  had  not  taken  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  their  king  in  the  exact  manner  in 
which  Baptists  take  it,  still  it  was  taken.  What  if 
they  had  not  put  on  their  king's  uniform  just  as  Bap- 
tists put  it  on,  yet  they  wore  it.  The  Baptist  has 
professed  his  allegiance  to  Christ  at  baptism,  the 


294         PRACTICAL  INFERENCES. 
J 

Psedo-Baptist  has  professed  it  at  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Both  wear  the  king's  uniform,  but  the  one  assumed 
it  at  the  earlier  rite,  the  other  more  irregularly  at 
the  later  rite.  If  the  one  in  baptism  professed  to 
die  and  rise  with  Christ,  the  other  in  the  Supper 
"  showed  forth  the  Lord's  death,"  1  Cor.,  xi.,  26. 

"  The  Scriptures,"  says  Mr.  Fuller,  "  lay  great 
stress  upon  confessing  Christ's  name  before  men 
(Matt.,  X.,  32),  and  baptism  is  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished ways  of  doing  this.  When  a  man  be- 
comes a  believer  in  Christ,  he  confesses  it  usually  in 
words  to  other  believers  ;  but  the  appointed  way  of 
confessing  it  openly  to  the  world  is  by  being  baptized 
in  his  name.  If,  therefore,  we  profess  Christianity 
only  in  words,  the  things  professed  may  be  genuine, 
but  the  profession  is  essentially  defective." 

Now,  since  confession  is  so  necessary,  and  the 
Psedo-Baptist  can  not  confess  him  by  baptism  because 
he  believes  it  to  be  wrong,  but  earnestly  desires  to 
confess  him  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  is  it  not  inconsist- 
ent in  those  who  insist  so  properly  on  the  value  of 
confession  to  say  to  a  Christian,  Because  you  can 
not  confess  him  in  one  way,  we  will  hinder  you  from 
confessing  him  in  another  ? 

If,  indeed,  to  admit  him  to  the  table  were  to  dis- 
pense with  the  command  of  Christ,  and  to  sanction 
the  neglect  of  baptism,  he  must  not  be  admitted  ; 
but  this  can  not  be,  because  he  is  admitted  by  the 
churches  who  practice  free  communion,  on  the  ground 
that  he  is  a  believer  who  keeps  the  commands  of 
Christ,  honors  baptism,  and  believes  that  he  has  been 
baptized.  I  own  that  he  is  unbaptized,  but  his  case 
is  totally  difi'erent  from  the  case  of  a  person  refusing 


REASUNS    FOU    FREE    COMMUNION.  295 

to  be  baptized  in  the  time  of  the  apostles  :  they  knew 
that  they  were  disregarding  a  divine  command,  he 
believes  himself  to  be  fulfilling  it ;  they  refused  bap- 
tism because  they  despised  the  authority  of  Christ, 
he  refuses  it  because  he  respects  that  authority.  1 
do  not  adduce  this  consideration  to  show  that  the 
Church  must  receive  all  candidates  for  communion 
as  qualified  if  they  think  themselves  to  be  so,  since 
the  Church  must  be  the  ultimate  judge  of  the  qual- 
ifications of  all  who  seek  communion  with  it ;  but  I 
adduce  it  to  show  that  the  Paedo-Baptist  is  not  dis- 
qualified. A  loyal,  loving,  and  obedient  believer, 
who  obeys  the  commands  of  Christ  as  far  as  he  knows 
them,  why  should  he  be  excluded  ?  He  is  unbap- 
tized,  it  is  true  ;  but  his  neglect  of  baptism  is  sim- 
ply an  error  ;  and  if  a  faithful,  loving,  and  obedient 
believer,  who  studies  and  follows  the  Scripture,  is  to 
be  excluded  from  communion  for  an  error  which  does 
not  touch  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  where 
is  the  exclusion  to  stop  ?  Arminians  and  Calvinists 
must  not  hold  communion  together,  nor  Presbyteri- 
ans, Anglicans,  and  Independents,  nor  Millenarians 
with  ante-Millenarians,  nor  members  of  establish- 
ments with  members  of  free  churches,  nor  Free-com- 
munion Baptists  with  those  who  advocate  strict  com- 
munion, nor  any  believer  with  any  other  whom  he 
beHeves  to  be  in  error.  No  members  of  any  church 
can  receive  the  Lord's  Supper  together.  Churches 
must  be  scattered,  and  nothing  remain  but  a  sick- 
ening and  noxious  individuality,  the  churches  being 
reduced  to  a  chaos  of  disconnected  units. 

Let  it  further  be  observed,  that  the  reasoning 
which  could  prove  that  unbaptized  persons  must 


296  TRACTICAL    INFERENCES. 

not,  under  any  circumstances,  be  admitted  to  the 
Lord's  table,  must  equally  prove  that  they  must  not, 
under  any  circumstances,  be  owned  as  brethren.  If 
you  sanction  their  error  by  admitting  them  to  the 
Lord's  table,  you  must  sanction  it  no  less  by  all  fra- 
ternization with  them  ;  and  since  we  must  never  do 
evil  that  good  may  come,  all  persons,  according  to 
this  doctrine,  must  exclude  from  their  fellowship  all 
whom  they  imagine  to  be  in  error  ;  and,  unless  they 
be  themselves  infallible,  must  allow  all  their  fellow- 
Christians  equally  to  excommunicate  them.  Since 
this  absurd  conclusion  follows  from  the  doctrine  that 
in  admitting  saints  as  such  to  the  communion  of 
saints  we  sanction  their  errors,  it  follows  that  this 
doctrine  is  false.  Saints  may  be  admitted  to  the 
table  of  their  Lord  without  sanction  of  their  errors  ; 
and  Pffido-Baptists  may  come  to  it  without  any  dis- 
honor done  to  the  sacrament  of  baptism. 

There  is  another  objection  to  open  communion, 
which  has  been  urged  in  the  following  terms  : 
"  Thousands  of  persons,  who  from  their  early  days 
have  been  taught 'and  do  now  believe  that  by  being 
sprinkled  they  were  made  members  of  Christ,  chil- 
dren of  God,  and  inheritors  of  the  kingdom  of  heav- 
en, might,  but  for  this  error,  have  been  seeking  sal- 
vation from  a  right  quarter.  .  .  .  Can  it  be  rooted 
up  too  soon  ?  .  .  .  Are  our  open-communion  breth- 
ren going  the  right  way  to  work  to  root  it  up,  and 
not  rather  rooting  baptism  out  of  the  Church  ?" 
When  any  doctrine  is  at  once  popular  and  false,  an 
exclusive  policy  upholds  it.  Investigation  would 
expose  it,  and  must  therefore  be  prevented  ;  and  as 
men  do  not  like  to  be  excluded  from  society,  if  that 


REASONS    FOR    FREE    COMMUNION.  297 

exclusion  can  be  attached  to  a  denial  of  the  popular 
error,  men  will  avoid  investigation  to  escape  the 
consequences  of  an  inconvenient  sincerity.  But  ex- 
clusiveness  is  extremely  impolitic  when  a  doctrine  is 
unpopular  and  true.  Nothing  is  more  favorable  to 
the  progress  of  such  a  doctrine  than  investigation, 
and  whatever  promotes  investigation  extends  the  be- 
lief of  the  doctrine.  Now  the  doctrine  of  believers' 
baptism,  as  opposed  to  infant  baptism,  is  exactly  in 
these  circumstances,  and  whatever  promotes  investi- 
gation will  extend  that  doctrine.  Which  course, 
then,  tends  the  most  to  encourage  investigation,  close 
communion  or  open  ?  By  the  one,  eminent  Chris- 
tians are  treated  as  heretics,  disobedient  to  the  law 
of  Christ,  and  aliens  from  his  Church  ;  by  the  oth- 
er, they  are  welcomed  as  brethren.  The  former 
must  irritate  and  repel  them  ;  the  latter  can  not 
but  attract  their  regard.  By  the  exclusive  system 
they  are  shut  out  from  communion,  not  with  the 
churches  of  Christ,  which  they  might  dread,  but 
with  a  small  minority  of  those  churches,  which  they 
may  be  tempted  to  despise.  By  the  one,  the  advo- 
cates of  the  truth  appear  liberal  and  fraternal ;  by 
the  other,  they  repel  their  brethren,  by  seeming  il- 
liberal and  unbrotherly.  The  one  course  would  lead 
many  to  study  their  opinions,  as  those  of  enlighten- 
ed and  liberal  persons ;  the  other  would  induce  many 
to  reject  them  at  once,  as  leading  to  a  practice  so 
unamiable,  repulsive,  and  unwarrantable. 

In  another  way  this  practice  of  close  communion 
may  still  more  powerfully  obstruct  the  doctrine  of 
believers'  baptism.  If  I  mistake  not,  it  must  injure 
the  spirit  of  the  churches  which  practice  it.      How 


298  PRACTICAL    INFERENCES?. 

can  they  so  separate  from  those  with  whom  they  are 
commanded  to  be  openly  one  without  serious  loss  ? 
John,  xvii.,  20,  21.  How  can  they  so  value  the 
rite  of  baptism  as  to  repel  from  their  communion 
those  who  have  the  faith  and  devotedness  which  the 
rite  expresses,  and  not  sufler  by  it  ?  At  least,  they 
must  be  much  tempted  to  overvalue  the  form  of  re- 
ligion, and  to  undervalue  the  reality  ;  to  "  pay  tithe 
of  mint,  and  anise,  and  cummin,"  and  to  "  omit  the 
weightier  matters  of  the  law,  judgment,  mercy,  and 
faith,"  Matt.,  xxiii.,  23.  This  exclusion  of  holy 
men  seems  a  palpable  disregard  to  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  in  Paedo-Baptists,  tempts  Baptists  to  overvalue 
themselves  on  account  of  baptism,  and  if  it  impairs 
the  spirituality  of  the  Church,  must  hinder  the  con- 
version of  sinners.  But  let  all  consistent  believers 
be  admitted  to  communion,  then  irritation  may  sub- 
side, prejudice  be  diminished,  the  piety  of  the  Bap- 
tist churches  become  attractive,  the  doctrines  of  bap- 
tism be  examined  candidly,  and  many  may  be  con- 
verted to  it. 

There  is,  however,  one  more  very  serious  objection 
to  open  communion,  which  ought  to  be  fairly  met. 
Let  us  hear  Mr.  Fuller  :  "  The  grand  cause  of  the 
Church's  having  been  corrupted,  so  as  to  become 
apostate,  was  its  being  mingled  with  the  world. 
Piedo-Baptism  first  occasioned  this  fatal  mixture, 
and  national  establishments  of  religion  completed  it. 
The  one  introduced  the  unconverted  posterity  of  be- 
lievers, the  other  all  the  inhabitants  of  a  country, 
considering  none  but  pagans,  Jews,  and  deists  as  un- 
believers. The  one  threw  open  the  door,  the  other 
broke  down  the  wall.     It  is  manifestly  thus  that  the 


REASUNt;    FOR    FREE    CUMMUNION.  299 

Church  and  the  world  have  been  confounded,  and 
will  always  be  confounded,  more  or  less,  till  Psedo- 
Baptism  is  no  more.  If  you  admit  Psedo-Baptists  to 
communion,  you  will  not  be  able  for  any  continu- 
ance to  secure  your  own  principle,  that  none  but 
real  Christians  should  be  admitted."  The  reason 
assigned  for  this  opinion  is,  that  in  Psedo-Baptist 
churches,  baptized  children  are  considered  as  mem- 
bers of  the  visible  Church,  and  that  they  are,  there- 
fore, admitted  too  easily  to  the  Lord's  table.  But, 
assuming  the  truth  of  this  statement,  at  least  with 
reference  to  establishments,  let  us  recollect  that 
few  inconsistent  communicants  from  Pasdo-Baptist 
churches  would  desire  occasional  communion  with 
Baptist  churches,  nor  could  their  presence  injure 
these  churches  ;  and  with  respect  to  members,  each 
church  has  the  means  of  preventing  the  alleged  evil 
in  its  own  hands  ;  for  although  it  may  not  repel  from 
its  communion  Psedo-Baptists  as  such,  it  has  yet  the 
right  to  ask  from  all  who  are  candidates  for  com- 
munion credible  proofs  that  they  are  true  disciples. 
To  be  communicants  in  the  Establishment  ought  to 
be  no  barrier  to  communion  with  any  other  church, 
but  it  is  also  no  sufficient  title  to  such  communion. 
Each  church  may,  if  it  will,  require  from  candidates 
the  profession  of  their  faith  and  testimonials  to  their 
conduct.  The  profession  thus  required  may  be  ex- 
actly that  which  would  be  made  in  baptism  ;  and 
if  the  Church  dread  the  appearance  of  sanctioning 
disobedience  to  a  command  of  Christ,  each  Psedo- 
Baptist  candidate  may  be  required  distinctly  to  pro- 
fess that  he  refuses  to  be  baptized  only  in  obedience 
to  what  he  believes,  after  examination,  to  be  the  will 


.300  PRACTICAL    INFERENCES. 

of  Christ.  The  required  discipline  of  the  Church 
may  thus  be  preserved,  and  all  true  believers  be  ad- 
mitted to  communion ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  to 
exclude  from  communion  the  best  men  in  the  coun- 
try on  the  ground  that  they  are  unbaptized,  must 
make  both  baptism  and  Church  discipline  odious  to 
multitudes. 

For  consider  the  real  character  of  this  exclusion. 
Those  only  are  ordered  in  the  word  of  God  to  be 
excluded  who  are  heretical  in  doctrine  (Gal.,  v.,  12), 
who  are  vicious  in  their  practice  (1  Cor.,  v.,  11,13), 
who  are  schismatical  in  temper  (Rom.,  xvi.,  17), 
who  injure  their  brethern  (Matt.,  xviii.,  17),  or  who 
are  openly  disobedient  to  the  commands  of  Christ, 
2  Thess.,  iii.,  14.  But  you  exclude,  in  company 
with  all  these,  some  of  the  most  loyal,  the  most  act- 
ive, the  bravest,  and  the  most  loving  disciples  of 
Christ.  They  may,  like  Enoch,  walk  with  God  ; 
like  Abraham,  sacrifice  all  that  is  dearest  to  them 
to  serve  him  ;  like  Moses,  trample  under  feet  the 
world's  most  alluring  bribes  ;  like  Paul,  consecrate 
noble  faculties  with  untiring  ardor  to  the  cause  of 
their  Redeemer  ;  and  yet,  because  they  are  Psedo- 
Baptists,  you  will  exclude  them  from  the  table  of 
their  Lord.  You  do  this  because  they  will  follow 
what  they  believe  to  be  the  will  of  Christ,  the  mean- 
ing of  his  command,  and  the  practice  of  his  apostles  ; 
you  do  this  because  they  do  just  what  you  do  your- 
selves ;  since  you  will  baptize  believers  alone,  bet 
cause  you  think  that  Christ  requires  it,  and  they 
v^dll  baptize  infants,  because  they  think  that  he  re- 
quires it.  You  do  this,  therefore,  on  a  principle 
which  would  justify  their  exclusion  of  you  ;   which 


REASONS    FOR    FREE    COMMUNION.  301 

proscribes  all  communion  among  believers,  and  would 
substitute  submission  to  human  authority  for  entire, 
unlimited  submission  to  the  authority  of  Christ. 
-This  can  not  be  right ;  a  more  brotherly  course  is 
demanded  by  the  plain  precepts  of  Scripture,  by  the 
clear  proofs  of  faith  and  love  in  Pasdo-Baptist  breth- 
ren, by  the  duty  of  independent  judgment  inculcated 
on  all,  Rom.,  xiv.,  5,  23.  And  to  admit  the  saints 
of  Christ  as  such  to  his  table,  to  demand  no  other 
terms  of  communion  than  such  as  are  terms  of  sal- 
vation, to  welcome  as  brethren  all  whose  doctrine 
and  conduct  prove  them  to  be  so,  and  to  invite  all 
evangelical  churches  to  this  manifested  unity,  is  at 
once  to  extend  the  true  doctrine  of  baptism,  and  to 
promote  the  progress  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  world. 


CONCLUSION. 

A  FORM   OF  BAPTISMAL    SELF-DEDICATION   TO   GOD, 

0  Lord  God  Almighty,  I  accept  with  humble 
gratitude,  as  a  sinner  who  has  deserved  eternal  death, 
and  who  can  not  cease  to  deserve  it,  the  rich,  free, 
and  eternal  salvation  which  thou  in  thy  goodness 
hast  provided  for  me. 

1  look  to  thee,  O  God  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ,  to  save  me  from  the  punishment  of  sin 
and  its  power  ;  from  the  curse  which  thy  law  has 
justly  pronounced  upon  me,  from  my  own  faults, 
from  all  temptation,  and  to  bring  me  to  a  life  of  holy 
bliss  in  heaven,  because  thou  hast  promised  all  this 
to  those  who  come  to  thee,  as  I  now  do,  through 
Christ.  In  dependence  upon  the  merit  of  thy  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  upon  the  aid  of  thy  Spirit,  and  on  thy 
truth,  I  look  to  thee  for  the  eternal  salvation  of  my 
body  and  of  my  soul,  and  I  humbly  accept  thee  as 
my  chief  good  to  all  eternity. 

O  God  the  Son,  my  Pvedeemer,  who  didst  expiate 
my  sins  by  thy  death,  thou  wast  made  sin  for  me, 
that  I  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
thee  ;  thou  hast  redeemed  me  from  the  curse  of  the 
law,  being  made  a  curse  for  tne  ;  and  having  rescued 
me  from  eternal  death  by  thy  death,  thou  dost  now 
live  to  bring  me  to  eternal  life.  Believing  in  thy 
power  and  love,  I  trust  to  thy  merit  and  intercession 
to  secure  for  me  the  favor  of  God,  to  impart  to  me 


CONCLUSION.  303 

thy  Holy  Spirit,  to  enrich  me  with  all  the  blessings 
of  the  new  covenant,  and  to  prepare  me  for  heaven. 
Thus  I  accept  thee  as  my  only  and  all-sufficient 
Savior. 

Through  Christ  I  likewise  thankfully  receive  thee, 
O  God  the  Spirit,  to  be  my  Sanctifier.  For  his 
sake  thou  dost  dwell  with  those  who  believe  on  him, 
and  believing  on  him,  I  look  to  thee  to  teach  me  all 
needful  truth,  to  incline  my  heart  to  what  is  just 
and  right,  to  set  my  affections  on  God  and  on  spirit- 
ual things,  to  direct  and  control  my  will,  to  form 
my  character,  to  sanctify  me  wholly,  to  preserve  me 
through  all  temptations,  and  to  bring  me  into  the 
presence  of  my  Redeemer  in  glory. 

Thus  I  heartily  accept  thee,  O  God  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Spirit,  as  "  my  shield  and  my  ex- 
ceeding great  reward."  And  I  humbly  trust,  ac- 
cording to  thy  promises,  to  be  made  happy  by  thee 
for  both  worlds. 

On  the  other  hand,  being  so  blessed  and  favored, 
I,  as  a  redeemed  and  pardoned  transgressor,  desire 
to  make  a  public  profession  of  faith  in  thee,  and 
publicly  to  dedicate  myself  to  thy  service,  accord- 
ing to  Christ's  appointment,  by  immersion.  Before 
which  public  act,  I  do  now,  therefore,  first  dedicate 
myself  to  thee  in  secret. 

First,  I  renounce  all  sin  forever.  By  my  sins  I 
have  displeased  and  dishonored  thee.  They  have 
checked  my  efforts  to  improve  my  character,  they 
have  hindered  me  from  doing  good,  they  have  injured 
ray  peace  and  usefulness  ;  they  have  been  my  dis- 
grace, and  but  for  thy  mercy  they  would  have  been 
my  ruin.      I  have  been  unreasonable,  corrupt,  and 


304  CONCLUSION. 

ungrateful  in  disobeying  thee,  and  am  brought  by 
nature  and  by  practice  to  such  a  condition  that  noth- 
ing but  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  can  blot  out  my 
guilt.  Thou  hast  so  hated  sin  that  thou  hast  sen- 
tenced sinners  to  eternal  death;  and  unless  Jesus 
Christ  had  suffered  for  it,  they  could  not  have  been 
saved.  It  is  unnatural,  depraved,  and  rebellious, 
exposing  them  to  thy  just  wrath  and  curse.  It  has 
occasioned  the  death  of  Christ ;  it  has  made  the 
world  hate  him  ;  it  opposes  his  dominion  ;  he  came 
to  rescue  us  from  its  power  ;  and  he  feels  an  irrecon- 
cilable hatred  to  it.  It  is  contrary  to  the  nature 
and  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  whom  it  is 
progressively  destroyed  in  each  believer,  and  by 
whom  it  must  ultimately  be  destroyed  throughout 
the  world.  It  is  worse  in  thy  children  than  in 
others,  because  they  must  sin  against  clearer  light, 
and  repeated  promises,  after  experiencing  the  aids 
of  grace,  and  after  tasting  the  pleasure  of  obedience. 
I  therefore  desire  to  forsake  it  forever,  and  hence- 
forth to  do,  say,  and  think  nothing  which  is  contrary 
to  thy  will.  As  Christ  died  for  my  sins,  and  was 
buried  in  the  grave,  so  shall  I  be  buried  in  the  water, 
in  token  that  I  die  with  him  to  the  sins  which  caused 
his  death,  that  I  may  never  again  serve  sin. 

At  the  same  time,  I  mean  by  thy  help  to  lead  a 
new  life.  As  Christ  rose  from  the  grave,  so  shall  I 
rise  from  the  water  to  a  nobler  and  better  life  than 
before.  Thou  didst  not  givo  my  faculties  to  be 
wasted  in  aimless  inactivity,  but  rescued  from  active 
corruption  to  be  employed  in  all  that  is  useful  and 
ennobling.  Henceforth  my  opinions  and  judgment 
of  things  being  formed  by  a  supreme  regard  to  thy 


CONCLUSION.  305 

will,  I  desire  to  cherish  every  right  principle  ;  to 
pursue  every  honorable  and  useful  end  ;  to  do  what 
is  just  and  true,  what  is  humane  and  benevolent ; 
to  set  my  affections  on  all  that  is  the  most  worthy 
to  engage  them ;  to  love  all  that  are  good  ;  to  seek 
holiness  and  heaven  ;  to  live  for  eternity  and  for 
thee  ;  to  be  directed  in  all  things  by  thy  word ;  to 
be  conformed  to  the  example  of  Christ ;  and  to  aim 
at  being  perfect,  as  my  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect. 
As  Christ  my  Redeemer  is  in  heaven,  I  will  set  my 
affections  there  ;  as  he  is  holy,  just,  and  good  there, 
I  will  endeavor  to  be  so  here  ;  as  he  glorifies  thee 
there,  I  w^ill  seek  to  glorify  thee  here ;  as  he  loves 
believers,  I  will  love  them  ;  and  as  he  is  head  over 
all  things  to  the  Church,  I  will  live  to  serve  the 
Church.  Thus,  by  thy  help,  I  will  rise  with  Christ 
to- a  new  life. 

Further,  as  I  am  about  to  be  baptized  unto  the 
name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Spirit,  that  is, 
to  profess  by  immersion  that  I  am  thy  worshiper 
and  servant,  I  now  consecrate  myself  to  thy  service 
forever. 

I  give  myself  unreservedly  to  thee,  O  God  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  relying  on  thy 
mercy  to  accept  me  through  Christ,  and  on  the  aid 
of  thy  Spirit  to  enable  me  to  adhere  to  my  resolu- 
tion. Thy  will,  O  God,  shall  be  mine.  I  mean  to 
please  thee  in  all  things.  I  count  thy  enemies  my 
enemies,  thy  friends  my  friends.  Lord,  what  wilt 
thou  have  me  to  do  ?  Only  make  me  know  thy 
will,  and  by  thy  help  I  will  do  it.  Thou  art  my 
owner,  and  to  please  and  serve  thee  shall  be  my 
highest  end. 

TT 


306  CONCLUSION. 

I  give  myself  also  unreservedly  to  thee,  my  gra- 
cious and  loving  Savior,  who  art  one  in  nature,  de- 
sign, and  feeling  with  thy  Father.  As  thou  Jiast 
lived  and  died  for  me,  I  wish  to  live  for  thee  ;  and 
as  thou  wilt  give  me  glory  in  heaven,  I  desire  to 
give  thee  glory  on  earth.  Before  long  I  hope  to  see 
thee  in  thy  kingdom  ;  meanwhile  may  I  love,  serve, 
trust,  and  delight  in  thee  as  my  ever-present  Re- 
deemer. To  obey  thy  commands,  to  copy  thy  ex- 
ample, to  promote  thy  cause,  to  help  thy  servants, 
to  honor  thee  in  the  use  of  all  my  faculties,  posses- 
sions, and  time — all  this  is  my  fixed  intention,  by 
the  aid  of  thy  Spirit.  Thou  hast  bought  me  by  thy 
blood  :   I  am  thine. 

Further,  I  give  myself  to  thee,  O  Holy  Spirit  of 
God.  It  is  my  desire  and  purpose  to  be  led  by  thy 
teaching,  and  to  be  conformed  to  thy  will.  May 
thy  holy  influence  surround  me  wherever  I  may  be. 
May  I  never  grieve  thee  by  neglect  or  sin,  by  hard- 
ness or  unbelief ;  but  may  I  be  immersed  in  a  flood 
of  light  and  love,  as  the  three  disciples  were  im- 
mersed in  the  bright  cloud  on  the  mount  of  trans- 
figuration. May  I  be  baptized  in  thee  ;  pervade 
all  my  faculties,  consecrate  my  whole  being  to  thy- 
self. 

Since  I  have  thus  been  enabled  to  believe,  O  Lord 
God,  and  am  about  to  profess  my  faith  by  immer- 
sion unto  thy  name,  I  look  to  thee  to  fulfill  the 
promises  which  thou  hast  made  to  me  in  thy  word. 
Jesus,  when  on  earth,  said,  "  He  that  believe th  and 
is  baptized  shall  be  saved."  Pvcceive  me,  therefore, 
now,  and  own  me  at  the  last  day  as  one  of  thy  par- 
doned and  accepted  children.    Thy  apostle  once  said 


CONCLUSION.  307 

to  an  anxious  multitude,  "  Repent,  and  be  baptized 
for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Repenting  of  all  my  sins,  and 
being  about  to  be  baptized  in  token  of  that  repent- 
ance, may  I  have  the  assurance  that  my  sins  are  re- 
mitted, and  be  sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of  prom- 
ise. To  the  end  my  righteousness  will  be  like  filthy 
rags,  and  each  day  I  must  need  thy  forgiveness. 
Now,  therefore,  I  desire,  by  being  baptized  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  to  express  my  entire  dependence  on 
his  merit  and  mediation,  to  assume  by  faith  the  robe 
of  his  righteousness,  and  to  be  one  of  those  of  whom 
the  Apostle  Paul  has  said,  "  As  many  of  you  as  have 
been  baptized  into  Christ  Jesus  have  put  on  Christ." 
Look  on  me  as  one  who  depends  on  him  alone  ;  let 
his  righteousness  be  imputed  to  me,  and  let  it  hide 
from  thee  all  my  guilt. 

Thus  engaged  in  thy  ennobling  service,  with  a 
happy  assurance  that  I  am  thy  adopted  child,  may 
I  have  that  joy  and  peace  in  believing  which,  in  the 
case  of  others,  has  followed  an  open  confession  of 
Christ.  As,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  three  thou- 
sand who  were  baptized  were  filled  with  gladness  ; 
as  the  jailer  and  his  family  rejoiced,  believing  in  thee 
on  the  night  of  their  baptism  ;  and  as  the  Ethiopian 
treasurer,  after  receiving  baptism,  went  on  his  way 
rejoicing,  so  may  I,  in  thus  putting  on  the  uniform 
of  Christ  as  his  soldier,  experience  such  joy  and  peace 
in  believing  as  all  the  trials  of  life  shall  not  be  able 
to  destroy. 

In  this  profession  may  I,  through  thy  grace,  be 
steadfast  to  the  end  of  my  life,  and  daily  grow 
stronger  in  faith  as  nature  decays. 


308  CONCLUSION. 

As  I  am  about  to  be  received  into  the  communion 
of  saints  as  the  member  of  a  Christian  Church,  as- 
sist me  to  live  answerably  to  this  privilege.  Make 
me  to  love  my  brethren,  and  to  be  loved  by  them 
in  return.  Never  may  I  sow  discord  among  those 
whom  divine  grace  has  united,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
be  a  peace-maker  among  those  whom  human  infirm- 
ity separates.  Never  may  I  envy  the  gifts  and  graces 
of  my  companions,  but  feel  humble  gratitude  to  thee 
for  every  manifestation  of  thy  goodness  to  them  or 
to  myself  Make  me  according  to  my  ability  to  pro- 
mote the  happiness  of  the  Church  of  which  I  shall 
form  a  part,  cheerfully  sharing  in  every  evangelical 
labor,  contributing  to  every  work  of  benevolence,  and 
uniting  my  prayers  with  the  prayers  of  thy  Church 
for  a  copious  efiiision  of  thy  Spirit  upon  us  all. 

Finally,  may  the  memory  of  this  solemn  baptism 
refresh  me  during  all  my  future  course.  If  ever  I 
am  tempted  to  backslide,  may  these  solemn  vows 
occasion  deep  contrition,  and  recall  me  to  fidelity  ; 
and  whenever  I  reflect  that  I  have  thus  heartily 
consecrated  myself  to  thy  service,  may  I  feel  disposed 
to  renew  this  act  of  consecration  with  more  entire 
devotedness  and  with  more  triumphant  faith. 

Now  unto  thee  who  art  able  to  keep  me  from 
falling,  and  to  present  me  faultless  before  the  pres- 
ence of  thy  glory  with  exceeding  joy,  to  thee,  the 
only  wise  God  our  Savior,  be  glory  and  majesty,  do- 
minion and  power,  both  now  and  ever.      Amen. 


THE    END. 


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